


Global Genetic Conspiracy

by WarlockWriter



Series: Conspiracy Verse [1]
Category: The Agency (TV 2001), The Evil Gene (2015)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Canon Typical Violence, M/M, Nazi cliches (sorry/not sorry), Suicidal Thoughts, There was only one bed!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-10-31 18:07:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 46,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17854577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarlockWriter/pseuds/WarlockWriter
Summary: It’s a normal day at the CIA and Lex is running a financial trace for Jackson Haisley when he goes a bit farther than he should and views a camera feed in a mental institution. The man in the padded cell looks just like him. Who is he and why is he there? And why are there even more Lex doubles in other parts of the country?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this story was both a working title and a running joke with my beta reader. Unfortunately, we both had been referring to the story as "Conspiracy" for so long that we couldn't think of it any other way. Then one of the characters made it a joke, and it stuck.
> 
> Written for the inaugural Non-Gabe Rich Bang. Story betaed by the incomparable [HixyStix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaiaMyles/pseuds/HixyStix). Awesome art by [malex-13](https://malex-13.tumblr.com/). Seriously? Check out the art. It's awesome and adorable, and I have been in love with it ever since I saw the first draft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now with even more art! Thank you, [trickster_archangel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/trickster_archangel/pseuds/trickster_archangel)

Lex glanced up as Jackson entered the room, holding a sheaf of papers. The older man spoke, his tone soft but still somehow carrying across the room. "Joshua, may I borrow Lex for a bit?"

Joshua raised his head from his work table where he had been working on adding the final touches to a passport. "Depends. Are you borrowing him for something that won’t get us hit with a sexual harassment suit?"

Lex turned his face, hiding a grin.

Jackson smiled. "Nothing so interesting, I'm afraid. I just need him to follow  a money trail."

Joshua waved a hand in the general direction of the young hacker. "Have at it. I'm pretty sure he was playing a video game anyway."

Lex hastily closed the incriminating window. How did he know? He'd been facing away the entire time.

"Eyes in the back of my head, boy."

Infuriating bosses.

Jackson was still smiling as he approached, dropping the papers on Lex's desk. The young man picked them up and shuffled through them. "What are these?"

"Bank records and a partial trace on a terrorist money laundering scheme." He picked up one of the papers and pointed to a list of what looked like coded bank account numbers. "That's where I lost the trail. Was wondering if you might be able to pick it up."

Lex flexed his fingers like a master pianist getting ready to play. "On it."

Jackson patted his shoulder. "Thanks. Let me know what you find."

Lex was already lost in his computer and didn't even look up as the older man left.

_All right. Start from the beginning._ He quickly re-traced Jackson's steps, wanting to be certain the older man hadn't missed anything. A few minutes later he was satisfied he hadn't. He might be as old as dirt, but he was good at his job. Now to follow the rest of it to the end.

His fingers flew over his keyboard. _Huh. That transaction looks odd. Where does it go? Right there. Oh, that was clever, but not clever enough._ He followed it to a Swiss bank. Tight security, yes, but he'd created a back door just a month ago. And there it was. _Okay, two payments went into that account. No way to determine who it belonged to. The Swiss didn't keep that information on their servers. So let's follow the next transaction. Oh, that wasn't as clever. That one leads to a bank in the U.S. And where did that 100 grand and change go? There!_

It didn't take long, maybe 15 minutes, and Lex had an address worth checking out. A bit more typing. Pulling up Google Maps because why not? Google had decent satellites, and they were probably good enough for this. Less than a minute later, Lex was examining a Google Earth view of what looked like a hospital. Okay, actually a mental institution in Bethesda, Maryland. Really? Alpha Omega? Who named a mental institution after Bible stuff?

He made notes on everything he'd found. He had no idea why terrorists were funneling money to a mental institution, but that wasn't his department. He was just supposed to follow the money trail, which he'd done.

He sent the entire thing off to Jackson via secure email. Why the old dude insisted on bringing down paper when he could save himself the walk by sending email was beyond Lex, but who knew what nearly 50 year old people were thinking anyway? I mean, really? Had they even had email when Jackson was growing up?

Mission accomplished, he moved his mouse to hover over his minimized game. However, something about Alpha Omega was pulling at him. Well, what harm could come from a bit of extra-curricular snooping?

He hacked into their server, which took some work but was also easier than he'd expected. That should have been a warning sign, but he was too busy moving on to the next thing to pay attention to the red flags his brain was trying to send him. Next, security cameras. Easy enough. He flicked through the cameras. Dining room. Boring. Treatment room. Double boring. Padded cell. Maybe interesting.

Lex froze. On the screen in front of him was a man, obviously drugged, in a straight jacket. His eyes were wandering and confused. His gold colored eyes. Exactly the same eyes Lex looked at every morning in his bathroom mirror.

Shit! What had he found?

***

Joshua looked up from his work when he hadn't heard the _click_ of Lex's keys for several minutes. As long as the young man was at his computer, the sound of typing was a constant. When it stopped, something was always wrong.

He frowned. Lex was staring at his screen, his shoulders tense, arms folded across his stomach as if trying to hold something in.

Joshua stood up and walked over to his subordinate. "Lex? What's wrong?"

No response. He wasn't even certain Lex had heard him.

He looked over the hacker's shoulder. There were four screens open, but Joshua immediately knew what Lex was staring at.

He put a hand on Lex's shoulder. "Son. What is that? And where did you find it?"

He felt Lex's desperate swallow through his hand. "I was… I was following the money trail Mr. Haisley gave me. I decided to take a look at the place I'd found. And—" Another swallow. "And then I saw that." He pointed at the man in a straight jacket.

Joshua squeezed the tense shoulder under his hand and leaned forward for a closer look. The man looked exactly like Lex, although perhaps Lex in about ten to fifteen years. It was hard to tell. The man on the screen looked sick and confused.

Joshua reached forward and clicked the mouse to minimize the window with the video. Lex didn't say anything, just shuddered, although it was impossible to tell if it was in relief or continued shock and horror. Joshua could only imagine what it might be like to see your near-double, especially under such conditions.

"Terri," Joshua called, noting that she was at a nearby table, starting on her latest project: a replica of a biblical scroll. He was hoping she wouldn’t need to go to extreme measures to get the odor of this one correct.

She raised her head, not appearing pleased at the interruption. "What do you need?" Her eyes tracked to Lex, who still hadn’t moved. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's had a shock. I'll explain later. For now, can you take him home? I don't think he's in any shape to drive."

She stood up and stretched. Joshua reminded himself that it was inappropriate to admire the thin strip of skin visible between her shirt and the waistband of her slacks. "All right," she said, as she walked over. "But I can't get his bike home."

"Perhaps you could pick him up in the morning?" Joshua suggested, concerned that Lex hadn't reacted at all to the conversation about his fate. With a frown, he walked back to his desk, rummaged in a drawer and pulled out a pill bottle with an air of triumph. He handed it over to Terri. "Make sure he takes one of these."

"What are they?" she asked.

"Sedative. It'll help him sleep."

"So you’re a doctor now?" Terri remarked.

"Only one smart-aleck allowed in this department," Joshua said with a nod at Lex.

She gave him a quick grin. "Then how do we explain you?"

He made a shooing motion at her before helping Lex to his feet. "Come on, son. Terri's going to take you home. It'll look better in the morning."

Terri took Lex's arm and guided him out of the room. Joshua watched them go, deciding to call Jackson down for an explanation. What had he gotten them into?


	2. Chapter 2

When Terri returned from getting Lex settled, she marched into the office, a woman on a mission.

Jackson and Joshua were huddled over Joshua's computer. Discretion overcame her anger, and she walked over to them before making her feelings known.

"What happened to him? I've never seen him like that before."

Joshua looked up from the computer. "You got him home okay?"

"Yes. Home and in bed with one of the pills. Which, by the way, he took from me and swallowed without even asking why. He doesn't take anything without 20 questions first."

Joshua and Jackson exchanged glances, which somehow made Terri even more incensed. "What?"

Joshua turned his monitor around so she could see it. At first she wasn't sure what she was seeing. Some sort of security monitor on a cell with a patient? Then she got it. "That looks like Lex's brother. But he doesn't have a brother."

"Look again," Joshua said, his tone patient.

She did and looked with the eye of an artist. The line of the man's jaw. The shape of his eyes. The color of his eyes. Everything clicked. That wasn't Lex's brother. It was Lex but older. "How? What?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Jackson said.

"How'd Lex even find this?"

"He was following a money trail for me," Jackson said.

"And, in pure Lex style," Joshua added. "He went farther than he should have and found this."

She was shaking her head. She'd seen some weird stuff in her time with the CIA, but this was beyond weird. This was…well, this was X-Files territory. However, it explained why Lex had been so deep in shock. Suddenly she felt bad about leaving him.

"How long will that pill knock him out?" she asked.

Joshua shrugged. "12 to 14 hours, give or take."

"You're sure?"

"Worked that way on my ex when she wanted sex and I didn’t."

That almost got a smile out of Terri, even in the middle of everything that was going on. But she still didn't think it was a good idea to leave Lex alone all night. "That may be, but I think I'll finish the scroll, pack a bag and go stay with him this evening."

"What should I tell Stiles if he asks where you are?" Joshua said with a wink.

"Tell him I'm going for younger men these days," she said and flipped her pony tail at him as she walked off.

Ordinarily, his laugh would have followed her. She peeked over her shoulder. Joshua and Jackson were back to huddled over the computer. Whatever this was, it was big.

***

Lex woke up slowly to the smell of…coffee? Where was he? Memory returned with the speed of molasses. Money trail for Jackson. A mental institution. Security cameras. Oh! The guy in the padded cell.

"You awake?" came…Terri's?...voice from the other side of the room. Hastily, he felt for what he was wearing. T-shirt and boxers. Okay?

"No, nothing like that happened, Lex. I drove you home, slipped you a mickey and then came back, just in case you woke and needed something in the middle of the night."

This couldn't really be happening, right? He'd had a girl in his apartment for the first time since…Livia? His thoughts skittered away from that line of thought and he opened his eyes and sat up.

Terri was smiling at him from the doorway, and as soon as he was vertical, she walked over and handed him a steaming mug of coffee. He cupped it in his hands, letting the warmth ground him.

"You remember much?" she asked.

"Kinda," he said. "I remember the security camera feed, and then…well…not much after that."

She opened her mouth, as if to say something but then stopped. He took a long swallow of coffee, ignoring the burn in his mouth and throat. Right then, the pain almost felt right.

"What are you not telling me?" he was finally able to ask.

"Lex, Joshua and Jackson found two more of…you…hims…whatever you call them."

"I'm not sure there's a protocol for this," Lex said after taking another swallow. "So who are they?"

Terri looked off for a moment, as if trying to remember. "Uh. A Bill Koehler from Jericho, Kansas and Sam Richards from Rocky Road, Missouri."

The names meant nothing to him, of course, but it was still weird. "Do they know who the guy in the padded cell is?"

She shook her head. "No. They tried to get into the database of the mental institution, but they couldn't."

"So they need me?"

"Yes." She said it with an almost apology in her voice.

Well, it was his job, wasn't it? He took another long swallow of coffee. "Then I guess I'd better get up." He was still feeling a bit groggy from whatever Terri had given him last night, and seriously, had he taken that without asking questions?

She leaned over and ruffled his hair. He usually hated it when people did that, but right then, he didn't mind the contact. "Get up and shower. I'll have breakfast ready by then."

Breakfast?

She turned to leave but stopped when he said, "Uh, Terri?"

"Yeah?"

"Sorry for all those cracks about your bust size that one time."

She laughed and headed for his kitchen.

Well, she hadn't slapped him, so that was probably good, right?

***

Terri fed him breakfast and drove him to work. Lex didn't have much to say. He was still coming to terms that there were at least three other hims out in the world. Over bacon and eggs, she'd told him that Bill and Sam seemed to be okay, living normal lives. It was just the third one that was the unknown. Lex's instincts told him the third guy was in trouble and needed help, but under the circumstances, he wasn't sure he could trust his instincts.

As soon as they walked into the Art Department, Joshua stepped out of his office. "Lex. About time you got here. I expect no further breakdowns on my watch. You stood up to Quinn and Holland without breaking a sweat."

Fortunately, Lex had worked with his boss long enough to read between the lines and know what he was really saying.  _ I was worried about you, but since you’re obviously all right, I don't have to say it. _ Also, he was glad Joshua had picked that example instead of the more recent one with cops and frames.

"Message received, boss." Let him make of that what he would. "I understand you can't break into the records of the institution."

"Can't is such a harsh word."

"Okay." He walked over to his computer, took a deep breath and prepared to hack into yet another system. All in a day's work, right?

He retraced his steps into the Alpha Omega system. When he got back to the security video feeds, he paused a moment. Finally, he clicked on the feed to his "twin's" cell. The man was asleep at the moment, which was a relief.

He startled when he heard Joshua's quiet voice right behind him, "Not sure that's a good idea, son."

Lex closed his eyes for a moment, gathering himself before saying, "I think I have to. People get lost and forgotten in places like that. Someone needs to remember he exists."

"You don't know what kind of man he is. Maybe he deserves to be forgotten."

Lex shook his head. "I can't explain it, but I don't think so. And I'm going to prove it."

Joshua nodded and said, "In that case, I'll be back in a minute."

Lex didn't say anything, turning back to his computer and starting to find a way into the patient files.

Before he'd gone very far, Joshua returned and dropped two pictures on his desk. Lex glanced at them and stopped. They both looked like him, just older. The younger of the two was wearing a khaki uniform and looked serious. The other was wearing casual dress and smiling broadly into the camera. "These the other two Terri mentioned?"

"Yes. The sheriff’s deputy is Bill Koehler and the other one is Sam Richards. Does he look like a pastor to you?"

Lex knew perfectly well that Joshua was trying to lighten the mood, but it wasn’t what he wanted right now. "How come they are all older than me?" He pointed to the Bill picture and turned to look at his boss over his shoulder. "I mean, he doesn't look that much older than me, but he still is."

"I don't know." Joshua got an absent look on his face, and Lex, from long experience, knew what was coming next. "Did you know that Josef Mengele was fascinated with experimenting on twins? It's thought that he was motivated by a desire to increase the chance of Aryans producing twins and thereby increasing their numbers."

"So you think these are twins? In some sort of weird none-of-us-are-the-same-age way?"

Joshua patted him on the shoulder. "I have no idea. That's your job to figure out." And with that, he went back to his office.

Lex shook his head at his boss before diving back into his computer.

_ Okay, so how to get to the medical files? Not on the same server as the security videos. That's too bad. What's that? Security videos are backed up to another server. Follow that trail. Aha! The backup was encrypted. Need to get through that before following the trail to the other server. _

Lex started running a heavy-duty decryption program he'd created in his spare time. That spare time he had since he was between girlfriends at the moment. Although considering his last girlfriend, maybe at this point, he should consider a boyfriend. He'd not been that particular in college, and it could be time to broaden his options again.

_ Aha! Decryption done. Now to follow that trail to the second server. And look at that. Patient files. Also encrypted. They thought they were so clever. But the only really clever way to keep files away from prying eyes was to store them on a server that wasn’t connected to the Internet. Maybe he'd leave them a note. _

He ran his program again. It took longer, and he used the time to be certain no one had noticed his presence. Finally, he was in. There were lots of files, but he quickly figured out which ones were current residents, and he started systematically clicking on them.

Finally, he found the one he was looking for. Griff Krenshaw.

He glanced down at the video feed. Griff was awake now, rocking himself back and forth.

_ Don't worry, Griff,  _ Lex thought.  _ I'm coming for you. As soon as I figure out why you're there and how to get you out. _

He started scanning through Griff's file. 35 years old. Okay, not as much older than him as he'd thought. Rough life maybe? Basically healthy. Huh? An FBI agent? This was getting weirder by the minute. Had a brother who committed suicide. Griff had been suffering from depression. Standard antidepressants listed. Nothing unusual there. He scrolled to the next page, started to read. Stopped. Read it again.

"What the—" He broke off before dropping an F-bomb. He had one reprimand on his record. He certainly didn’t want another one.

Terri glanced up from her work. "What did you find?"

"Take a look at this, will you?" Lex asked.

Terri rolled her chair over and started reading the section he indicated. As he read, Lex was vaguely aware that Joshua had come out of his office and was also reading over their shoulders. It wasn’t long before Terri saw what he'd seen.

"An evil gene that causes people to become violent criminals? I've never heard of that."

"It was my understanding that the idea had been largely debunked in the scientific community," Joshua commented.

Lex sometimes wondered where his boss learned all this stuff.

"What about the other inmates?" Terri asked. "Do any of them have this supposed gene?"

Lex hadn't thought to check that yet, but it seemed like a good idea, so he opened up a few of the other files. Sure enough, all of them had the gene. The records had the results of the PCR analysis. Lex found the copies of the x-ray films to be boring in their sameness.

However, apparently Terri's artist eye saw something he hadn't. "Wait a minute. Go back to that last one."

Lex flipped back to the record of a Richard Daniels. Terri pointed to his PCR. "Now go back to your guy." Lex did so. He didn't see it, but from the sudden intake of breath from Joshua, their boss did.

"They're identical," Joshua said.

Lex frowned. "Sure. They have the same gene, so of course they'd look alike."

Terri was shaking her head. "No, they are identical. Yes, they both show that they have this alleged 'evil gene' but the surrounding sequences are the same. I'm no genetic expert, but I think that would only happen if they were identical twins."

Lex scrolled back to the picture of Daniels. He looked nothing like Griff, being at least ten years older with different hair and eye color, not to mention different facial features.

"Look at one of the other files," Terri said.

Lex did so, and now he could see what they had seen. While part of the sequence was the same, the rest was different. "So what's that mean?"

"I have an idea, but let me look at something else," Terri said. "Go back to Griff's file."

Lex did so.

"Open up the Daniels file in a separate window so I can look at them side by side."

Done.

A moment later, Terri nodded. "That's what I thought. One of these files is fake, and I'm inclined to believe it's Griff's file. Look. It's a cut and paste job. The stuff from the Daniels file has been pasted into Griff's file. It’s a bad cut and paste job too. The text from the Daniels file doesn’t have the same narrative style as the rest of the notations in Griff's file."

Lex was gratified to note that she was using Griff's first name instead of his last name like she was with the other guy. He was vaguely surprised at the odd protectiveness he was feeling for Griff, but then again, the guy was practically his twin, so maybe it wasn't so strange.

"What does it mean?" Lex asked. "Why is Griff's file fake? And does it mean he has the gene or not?"

"I don’t know the answer to the second question," Joshua said. "But the answer to the first one is that it's time to fill in Jackson and let him know what he's gotten us into."

Lex was inclined to agree with that.


	3. Chapter 3

Jackson was finishing up some paperwork before going home when his phone rang. He checked the display. Joshua's number. Interesting. He'd been half expecting a call from him. Lex should have been able to break into the Alpha Omega patient files by now.

He answered. "Joshua. What can I do for you?"

"Can you come down here? We've discovered something interesting."

The problem with Joshua was that  _ interesting _ covered a range from "learned a new bit of trivia he'd like to share" to "possible upcoming global catastrophe." Considering what Lex had found earlier, Jackson was inclined to think it was closer to the latter.

"I'll be right there."

When he arrived in the Art Department, he glanced over at Lex's computer. He couldn’t make out what the young man was working on, but he did see the video feed in the corner of his screen. He shook his head on his way into Joshua's office. He wasn't sure it was healthy how obsessed Lex seemed to have become with this situation. On the other hand, who could blame him?

Joshua motioned him to a chair. "Lex has discovered who our mystery man is." He handed over several files.

Jackson flipped through them. He immediately knew why Joshua had wanted him to come down. "Krenshaw's file—"

Joshua cut him off. "Griff."

Jackson looked up from the files. "What?"

Joshua motioned with his chin toward Lex. "He prefers that we use the man's first name."

Jackson shook his head. "He's getting too close to this."

Joshua shrugged, his expression too carefully neutral. "Can you blame him? He's just discovered that he has effectively three twins, of a sort." He got a far away look in his eye. "If we find two more of them, we could call them Lextuplets."

Jackson stifled the automatic groan. It never did to encourage Joshua in his puns. "Point taken. Anyway…Griff's file is faked."

"Correct. Or all the files are faked in some way."

Jackson nodded. "Considering the whole evil gene thing has been disproven, yes, that's a possibility as well. However, Griff's file is definitely a bad cut and paste job. Lex noticed it?"

"Terri actually. And we have pulled his medical file from before he was institutionalized."

"You authorized that, of course?"

Joshua didn't miss a beat. "Of course."

Translation. Lex had hacked into a hospital's files, and his boss was providing cover. Joshua was fiercely protective of his people. Jackson rather liked that about him.

Jackson tapped the file on his leg. He wasn't surprised Terri had noticed the discrepancies. She had a good eye. But there was more about this which bothered him. He glanced through the file again. "He's an FBI agent. Brother committed suicide, and Griff was treated for depression. Nothing particularly unusual there." He thought of Matt and his long search for answers about his brother. Thinking about the agent and how he'd died still hurt. "However then he was assigned to this evil gene project." He couldn't resist an eyeroll at that. "And apparently went violent. That's definitely unusual."

The other man had said nothing else while he'd worked through that. However, Jackson a sudden thought and fixed Joshua with a look. "Have you seen his official file?"

"Not yet." Again with the coolly neutral tone.

Translation. Lex had tried to access the file, and Joshua had stopped him. That was a good thing. Because it was time to talk to the FBI. It would go better if there wasn't a recent hacking event on their servers. Not that Lex usually got caught, but still.

"All right. You've convinced me. It's time to talk to the FBI and get that kid out of there."

Joshua gave his trademark half-smile.

Jackson barely restrained his eyeroll. "What now? You disagree about going to the FBI?"

The smile didn't budge. "Oh, I'm not disagreeing with talking to the FBI. I think you're right about that. I'm just not sure I was the one who convinced you."

Jackson shook his head, realizing the older man was correct. He had convinced himself. "All right, then. It doesn't matter who convinced who. I'll go to Gage and get him to authorize it."

"Do you think you'll have any difficulty with that?"

"I don't think so. With what we have here—" He indicated the files "—and the paper trail that led here, I believe he'll agree we need to know more." He glanced out the large window onto the rest of the Art Department. Lex was still apparently busy at his computer.

"He'll want to be involved in some way," Joshua said, easily following his thoughts.

"I think that is a very bad idea," Jackson said.

"That may be. However…"

Jackson sighed. "I'll see what I can do. May I ask Lex to do some more research around this?"

Joshua waved a hand in the direction of the young man. "He's at your disposal. Until I need him for something else important."

Jackson couldn't resist. "Like a database search for resin and glue?"

Joshua gave a nod of concession."Touche. I'll try to save it for something more important than bovine restoration."

Jackson stood up, still holding the files. On his way out, he turned and said, "Oh, I don't know. We did get some good intelligence from that."

"And Terri will never forgive me for it."

Jackson chuckled on his way out the door, detouring by Lex's desk on his way out.

Lex looked over his shoulder as Jackson walked up. There was an earnest entreaty in his oddly golden eyes. "Sir?" he asked.

"I need you to do some more research for me, Lex. I think it will help this case."

Lex glanced over his shoulder at Joshua's office.

"Already cleared with your boss." He cleared his throat and said, aiming for stern. "Not that I suspect it would stop you if he didn't approve."

"I haven't done—"

"I'd stop that sentence before you say something you won't be able to back up later."

Lex swallowed hard and asked. "What do you need?"

Jackson smiled to himself. Nothing would stop the young man forever, but perhaps he'd averted an immediate crisis. "You traced the money trail one way. Can you backtrack it?"

Lex narrowed his eyes. "You mean follow the trail backwards to see how the money got to the terrorists?"

"Supposed terrorists. I'm starting to suspect we've been seeing what someone wants us to see."

Lex grinned. "Well, we can't have that." He turned back to his computer.

Jackson put a hand on his shoulder. "Tomorrow is fine. It's late. Go home and get some sleep." He paused, deciding if he should cue Lex in that things were about to happen. His gaze dropped to the now ever-present video feed. Griff was rocking back and forth, looking confused, as if he didn't know where he was. That decided him. "I'm going to talk to Gage about filling in the FBI on the situation with Alpha Omega."

Hope sprung up in Lex's eyes. "Are they going to go in and get Griff…I mean all the people…out?"

"That's what I'm seeing about."

"I want to see him when he's out."

The way Lex said it left no room for argument, but Jackson couldn't let it go unchallenged. "He's going to need to be hospitalized." He lifted the files he was holding. "You saw what they have him on. He needs that out of his system."

Lex motioned in the general direction of their onsite medical center. "Bring him here."

Jackson shook his head. "There's too much we don't know about him yet. I think I can get Gage to agree to get him out, but there's no way he'll agree to bring him here."

Lex got an obstinate look in his eyes. Jackson put out a calming hand. "One step at a time." He thought for a moment. "I'll do what I can to get you on the approved visitor list."

Lex opened his mouth as if he were going to protest that, but Jackson shook his head firmly. "Even that's going to be stretching things. Take what you can right now, son." He motioned to the computer. "Depending on what you find there, we might be able to do more. But for now…" He broke off with an apologetic shrug.

Lex glowered but turned back to his computer. Before Jackson could say anything, Joshua's voice rang out from his office. "Home, Lex. Don’t make me take away your keyboard."

Lex's eyes flashed at that, and Jackson was concerned the young man would tell his boss where to put said keyboard, but before he did anything requiring discipline, he took a deep breath, pushed himself away from his computer, grabbed his backpack and stalked out of the Art Department.

Joshua and Jackson exchanged glances before Jackson left. He thought he could just catch Gage before he left.


	4. Chapter 4

On his way back to his apartment, Lex rode his bike too fast, taking turns at a tight angle, knee almost dragging the ground. He knew he was asking to get pulled over, but he didn't care. He also knew his anger was unreasonable. Jackson had been talking sense, as much as Lex didn't want to hear it.

The image of Griff on the video feed didn't go away. He could see it even with his eyes open, and it made him want to do something. Anything. But there wasn’t anything he could do. Well, nothing that wouldn’t get him into trouble.

Arriving at the his apartment, he parked his motorcycle and jogged upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. His skin felt too tight. He almost wished that he ran or did some other kind of exercise like the field operatives did. He needed something to release the energy that coiled inside him.

Nothing looked good in his kitchen, but he made himself a sandwich with his remaining cold cuts and forced himself to eat it. He checked the time. 7:30. Too early to go to bed, even if he weren't so wired.

He paced his living room, knowing he was probably driving the downstairs neighbors nuts but not caring. Finally, he threw up his hands, stripped out of his clothes and got into the shower. Maybe the hot water would chill him out.

Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. He stared down at his cock, which was hardening inappropriately. Images of Griff still rocked in his memory. Oh, this was so many kinds of wrong, but really, was anyone going to be hurt by it? He gripped himself and jacked off, coming hard and fast to the memories of Griff painted to the back of his eyelids.

Finished, he was finally able to relax, watch a couple of episodes of  _ Supernatural _ on Netflix—he really liked that Gabriel dude and was glad the writers had brought him back—and eventually fell asleep.

***

His phone rang, waking him from a dream he could barely remember, but he thought Griff might have been in it. Shaking his head, he sat up and grabbed his phone. Blinking at the display, he wondered why Joshua was calling him at 1:30 in the morning.

It took him two tries, but he finally managed to accept the call. "Joshua? What's up?"

Joshua answered in a voice which sounded entirely too awake. "I thought you'd want to know that an FBI team is moving in on Alpha Omega at 5 am."

Lex struggled for a moment to pummel his brain into alertness. "Uh. Yeah. That's good." He got control of his mouth just soon enough to stop himself from asking why this news couldn't have waited until he got to work in the morning. Not like he could be a part of it or anything.

"Well, they were mentioning that it might be nice to have someone stopping the video feed from going out. But if you're too tired…"

Lex was instantly awake. "You’re thinking me?"

"Unless you want to propose a different name."

"No. No. I'll do it." He eyed his custom laptop from across the room. He'd built it especially for this sort of job, but he'd not yet had a chance to do anything in the field. It made an awesome gaming machine, though.

"That's good. I seem to remember you bragging about a computer you'd built. I thought you might like an opportunity to use it."

"Yeah. Anyone in particular I should ask for? And am I covert or overt?"

"Mildly covert. Drop by the office on your way to Bethesda. I have an ID for you."

Mildly covert? What was up with that? "Uh. Okay?"

"You want visiting privileges with Mr. Krenshaw, don't you?"

Lex thought about correcting him but suspected his boss had done it on purpose to tweak him. "Of course, but—"

"Then since Griff's identity is already a matter of record, if you're going to be listed as his brother, perhaps the same last name would be in order."

Oh! That made sense.

"Sure, boss. Good thinking."

"So nice of you to acknowledge my competence."

Lex grinned, even knowing Joshua couldn't see it. "All right. I'll stop by. Hey, you're not still at the office, are you?"

"Someone had to make the badge."

"Thanks."

"Don't take too long. I'd like to get  _ some _ sleep tonight."

"What? You sleep? I thought you stayed up all night thinking of creative ways to torment your subordinates."

"That's quite enough lip from you, young man."

Lex hung up and took a shower to wake himself up. Watching the water slide down the walls reminded him of what he'd done the last time he'd been in here, but he suppressed the memory. He had things to do.

He dressed simply enough, in a black t-shirt and dark jeans. He tossed a dark jacket over his shoulder. They were in the middle of a typical D.C. summer: steaming heat and humidity thick enough to cut, but he wasn't going to ride his bike in shirt-sleeves.

Packing his laptop and accessories in a padded backpack took only a few minutes, and he was out the door less than a half an hour after Joshua had called. The trip to the office went smoothly. While D.C. never truly slept, 2 in the morning did mean the streets were close to empty. He made it to G.W. Parkway in less than 10 minutes and was in McLean less than 15 minutes after that. Without speeding.

He dashed down to the Art Department, where Joshua was standing in the door of his office, tapping his foot. "Took you long enough."

Lex gave him a grin and replied, "Could have broken the speed limit to get here, but didn't you tell me to stay out of trouble a few days ago?"

Joshua handed him the fake ID and ruffled his hair. Lex didn't dodge quite fast enough to avoid it. "Hey! Only my parents get to do that."

"I feel like your surrogate parent most days, so I'm claiming ruffling rights."

Lex ducked his head and said, "Thanks for the ID. Anyone in particular I should ask for when I get there?"

"I’d suggest keeping an eye out for the guys with FBI emblazoned in their Kevlar vests. Should get you in the right area."

"So helpful. Because I never would have thought of that on my own."

"Off with you, brat."

Lex gave him a cheeky mock hat-tip and headed back to his bike. Traffic was still light, and he made it to Bethesda with more than an hour to spare. When he was about a mile from Alpha Omega, his phone rang. Pulling off to the side of the road, he checked who was calling. An unfamiliar 302 number. He answered with a cautious, "Hello?"

"I see your bike. Jackson Haisley said to keep an eye out for you."

"Yeah. Where should I meet you all?"

"Turn left at the next intersection and ride to the end of the block. You'll see the staging area."

"On my way."

He rode as indicated and found a van and several cars at the end of the block. He had to laugh because, yes, every one of the visible agents were wearing Kevlar vests with FBI emblazoned in large letters. One of them flagged him down and indicated where he should park his bike.

"You Lex?" the man asked.

"Yes."

He indicated the van. "You're in there."

Lex nodded and climbed into the van. There were two men inside, talking into radios. One glanced up and nodded to a bare space on one of the bench seats. He sat down, got out his laptop and heavily encrypted mobile hotspot.

As he was setting up, another man poked his head into the van and asked, "You the CIA guy?"

"Yes, sir." He figured being polite was the best thing right now.

"You know what you're supposed to be doing?"

Staying polite just got a lot harder. "Making sure the bad guys don't see the video feed of you guys busting into the place."

The new agent gave him a smile. "Okay, you'll do. Yes, that's what we need. But first, can you give our strike team an inside look at where they’ll be going?"

"Sure. Give me a minute."

"All right." The agent held out his hand, and Lex took it. "John."

"Lex."

"Okay, Lex. Can you be ready to show my guys in 15 minutes?"

"Won't even take that long. I've got a back door into their server." His laptop beeped, indicating it had a connection. "I'll be ready in 5."

"We'll be back."

Lex was in the Alpha Omega server in minutes, and he spent his time until the agents showed up, getting everything in place to block the video feed. He peeked in on Griff, but the man was asleep. Lex was glad for that. Hopefully in a few hours, he'd be out of there and safe in a hospital. He'd rather Griff was going to be at CIA headquarters, but he understood where Jackson was coming from.

John came back pretty much right on the dot of 15 minutes later. "You ready?"

Lex nodded and turned his laptop so everyone could see. A five-agent strike team crowded around him.

Lex started the tour. "Assuming you’re coming in the front, and there's no reason for you not to, you'll hit the lobby first." He pointed to a half-circle desk. "Security guard is there. I can unlock the exterior doors and come up with a distraction for him which should get you into the building without any trouble."

"What kind of distraction?" one of the agents, a middle-aged black man, asked.

Lex grinned. "How about a critically overflowing toilet in the nearby men's room?"

The man grinned back. "That should do it."

Lex continued his tour. "After the lobby, you'll want to head down this hallway to the residents' wing. I've done a sweep of the building, and, other than the guard and one orderly here—" He pointed on the monitor to a small duty station on the wing. "—there's no one other than residents present."

"One orderly for all those residents?" Another agent, the only woman in the group, asked.

"They drug them up pretty well," Lex said. "I'm not sure any of them are capable of getting up to anything at night." He pulled up a map of the grounds. "Besides, there's a guard station over here." He pointed to a small building, detached from the rest of the facility. "There's no camera in there, so I can't get a head count."

"Four," said one of the agents who had been in the truck when Lex got in. "We used thermal imagery."

John nodded. "We need to send the other team there, then, while we deal with the guard and orderly. How many residents are we talking about?"

"Five," Lex said. He paused and pulled up the feed on Griff's room. "This is the one the CIA is most interested in." He considered for a moment, not certain what he was authorized to share, but knowing they'd figure out things soon enough. "He's one of yours."

John raised an eyebrow at that statement. "You mean he's FBI?"

"Yes," Lex answered.

The black agent leaned over the laptop and examined the video feed. "I know him. Griff Krenshaw. I taught a few classes at the Academy while I was recovering from an injury, and he was in a couple of them." The agent took a close look at Griff and then examined Lex, who waited for the obvious question. "He related to you?"

John started and took another look at the video feed.

"He's my brother." A part of him hated that particular lie, but if he wanted to be allowed to see Griff at the hospital, he needed to stick to the story. "That's part of why we're interested in him," Lex answered. He didn't know what he was authorized to share, so he said no more. 

"Didn't know he had another brother," the black agent said, obviously trying for casual, but Lex heard the tension under it.

"We were never close. Not surprised he didn’t talk about me."

"But you're here now." There was definitely suspicion in his tone.

Lex forced himself to give a casual shrug. "He's still family." Then he clammed up, determined to say nothing more.

John waited to see if Lex would fill the silence with something, but the young man had stood firm against cops and Quinn. This agent had nothing on the bald guy. Finally, John nodded and said, "Okay. We'll try to get him out first." He checked his watch. "We’ve got ambulances nearby, ready to roll up as soon as the area is cleared."

He turned to the rest of his team. "Any questions?"

No one had any, and John said, "All right. Gear up and be ready to go when I say the word." He turned to Lex, "You'll keep an eye on things and let us know if anything changes?"

"Of course."

"Good. Then let’s get to it."


	5. Chapter 5

The raid went smoothly. Lex watched it on the video feed but, other than the distraction for the lobby guard, he had little to do. When they started moving patients to the waiting ambulances, he watched until they started rolling Griff outside. Then he got up. "Watch my stuff?" he asked the two agents still in the van.

One of them gave him a look which clearly communicated,  _ Everyone here is FBI? Do you really think we’d steal your stuff? _

Lex flushed at the unspoken rebuke, but he didn't let it stop him from leaving the van and jogging over to where they were moving Griff to one of the ambulances.

"Wait!" he yelled. A paramedic stopped and made an exaggerated shrug.

"He's my brother," Lex said as he jogged the last few feet.

"Okay, but make it quick. We've got orders to move them all as quickly as possible."

Lex finally had his first live look at Griff. He'd thought the man looked bad on the video feed, but it was nothing compared to seeing him in person. Griff's skin was pale, as if he hadn't seen the sun in months. Even closed, his eyes were sunken and looked bruised. His hair lay lankly on the gurney pillow, as if it hadn't been washed in days.

"We need to go," the paramedic said.

"Let me get my stuff. I want to ride with him." He couldn't let him go alone, even if he was unconscious and probably unaware of what was happening around him.

"No can do." He was collapsing the gurney legs and loading it into the ambulance.

"But I'm his brother!" Now Lex was glad he'd gone with the lie.

The paramedic was shaking his head. "Doesn't matter. I've got my orders. No one in the ambulance except the patients." He closed the doors which clunked with sudden finality.

"Can you at least tell me where you're taking him?"

The paramedic considered for a moment before shrugging and saying "I guess that wouldn't hurt. We're taking them to Sibley."

Lex nodded and watched the ambulance pull away from the curb. He'd manage to get into the hospital somehow. Now that he'd seen Griff, nothing was keeping him from the other man.

***

There had been no way Lex could have slept after the early morning raid, so he'd gone home just long enough to change into more work-appropriate clothing before heading into the office.

By late morning, when Joshua finally arrived, Lex had completed most of the trace Jackson had asked him for.

"You look like you've been here for hours," Joshua said as he entered the Art Department.

"He has been," Terri said without looking up from her work. "Coffee was already made and going cold when I got in."

"I made more," Lex protested, but his attention wasn't really on the banter. He was tracking down one last money trail. He felt his boss' presence looking over his shoulder.

"I'd've thought you would have gone home after your early morning adventure," Joshua said, voice pitched low enough so only Lex could hear. "How'd it go?"

"He's out and was on his way to the hospital when I left." His eyes darted down to where the video feed had been, as they had done numerous times while he'd been working. He was glad Griff was out of Alpha Omega, but he missed the tiny bit of contact he'd had with the man.

"And you're here?" Joshua asked.

"Wouldn't let me go with him."

"Even with the ID?"

Lex shook his head. "Not even. Their orders were patients only."

"Do they know he's FBI?"

"I told them." He looked back over his shoulder. "I didn’t tell them much of anything else, except that we were interested in him, which I figured Jackson had already told someone." His eyes expressed concern that he'd done something wrong.

Joshua placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You did fine. They were going to identify him quickly enough."

"Did you backstop my ID? One of the guys knew Griff and seemed surprised to learn that I was his brother. I just said we'd never been particularly close, and he backed off. But I'm sure he's going to check."

"Let him check. We backstopped you thoroughly. And that was a good answer, by the way." He gave the younger man a smile. "How'd he look?"

Lex suppressed a shudder at the memory. "Awful. Worse than on the video. He was unconscious, but up close you can tell he hasn't seen sunlight in months, and it was hard to tell, but I don't think he's got much muscle tone."

Joshua frowned, and Lex knew that Griff had just earned his way into his boss' protective nature. "You about done with the trace Jackson wanted you to do?"

"Yeah."

"Why don't you get over to the hospital then? I'll let Jackson know he needs to make sure you can get in to see him."

Gratitude flowed through Lex, but even so, he shook his head. "Thanks, but you need to see what I found first."

"All right." Joshua pulled up a nearby chair and sat down. "What have you found?"

Lex pulled up a spreadsheet filled with company names and information.

"What am I looking at?"

"This is the trail of companies the money flowed through."

Joshua raised an eyebrow. "There are…" His eyes flicked down the spreadsheet. "22 companies there."

"Yeah, and I'm not sure I've found them all yet."

Joshua was still examining the data. "German, Argentinian, and U.S." He paused and added, "You do know that many Nazi war criminals went to Argentina after the war."

Lex rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I did study history, you know. Godwin's Law at work again."

Joshua barked out a quick laugh at the reference. "All right, but that's not enough to have your shorts in a bunch."

"No, what's weird is that all these companies appear to be legit. They are all privately held, so information is sketchy on some of them, but the ones I was able to research—" He delicately avoided mentioning that he had hacked some of them, but he knew his boss would get the picture. "—had payroll, real estate, purchase orders for equipment and everything."

"Fake?" Joshua asked.

Lex shook his head. "I don't think so. Either they are very, very good at faking the paper trail, or the purchase orders and payroll were legit."

Joshua frowned. "So this isn't a money laundering operation. There's usually at least a few shell companies in those. You're saying there aren't any here."

"Not that I can tell. However, there's definitely money laundering going on here. It's just got a twist to it."

"How so?"

Lex opened another document, this one filled with pictures and descriptions of art works and various antiquities. "The money to finance this entire operation came from the sale of these."

From Joshua's sudden intake of breath, Lex knew he recognized some of the pieces. "Some of these are legit. Not stolen."

Lex shook his head. "As far as I can tell, they are  _ all _ legit. The ones I researched all had convincing provenance. No, they didn’t want to hide the sale of the items. All they were hiding was how the money was being used."

"Go back to the spreadsheet," Joshua ordered.

Lex complied, knowing his boss was starting to put it all together.

Joshua reached over to take the mouse. Lex let him and watched as the older man scrolled through the data, occasionally flipping back to the art sales document. Finally, he said, "So all of these companies are engaging in some sort of medical or genetic research, but they haven't sold, licensed or patented any of the results."

"Exactly," Lex said, pleased that Joshua was getting it.

"And this has been going on for 20 years?"

"Probably longer. I can't prove it because the records aren't online to access, but my gut tells me that this has been going on a lot longer. I found references to earlier art sales."

"So what is it?" Joshua asked. "What are they doing?"

"Looks like some sort of genetic research," Lex answered. "I don't know. Maybe the kind of research that would produce Griff, me, and the others." He hated saying it because it meant that much of his life had been a lie. A lie he never would have discovered had it not been for a few twists of fate.

"Has any crime been committed here?" Joshua asked, not responding verbally to Lex's statement. A warm hand on his shoulder communicated what words didn't.

"Not that I can tell. Which makes it all weirder. Why did Jackson have me start looking in the first place? When he gave me the first list of money transfers, I assumed something illegal was going on and proceeded accordingly. It wasn't until I started the back trace that I started to suspect something different."

"I'll be sure to ask him where he got the information." Joshua sat back in his chair, stroking his chin in thought. Finally, he said, "So what you're telling me is that if Jackson hadn't started you looking, no one would have noticed anything going on?"

"Pretty much. And, even at that, if I hadn't gone exploring in their servers and found the video feed, we still wouldn't know anything."

"And even if someone had seen the feed, only you would have recognized anything odd."

"Yeah. The lax security at Alpha Omega makes sense now. The patient files were pretty well protected which, yeah, HIPAA, but nothing else. Since they haven't been doing anything overtly illegal, they didn’t protect themselves because they didn't think they had to."

"But you did look."

"And now we are on to something, but we still don't know what."

Joshua pondered for a few more minutes. "Good job," he said eventually. "Write up your report and send it to Jackson. Then get over to the hospital and see if Griff is in any shape to talk. He may have another piece of the puzzle. I'll talk to Jackson and see what our next move might be."

Lex stood up, gulped the remains of his long-cold coffee and stretched. "Thanks, Joshua. The report is already written. I just need to hit send."

Joshua stood up as well. "Do that and get on with you." He started for his office but turned and added, "And I don't want to see you until a decent hour tomorrow, you hear."

Lex smiled. "Loud and clear, boss."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now with some new/old art by [Gabriel_Is_My_Guardian_Angel89](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gabriel_Is_My_Guardian_Angel89)
> 
> I say new/old because I requested the moodboard ages ago and recently realized it fit this chapter pretty well! So enjoy.

Although he was as nervous as fuck, Lex forced himself to walk confidently into the hospital. He knew nothing said suspicious faster than looking nervous. Okay, a bit of nerves heading into a hospital was probably okay, so he dialed it back a bit.

He already knew which floor Griff was on, and he took the elevator straight there and strolled to the nurse's station. A bored looking women raised her head at his approach.

"May I help you?" She sounded as if she'd rather be doing almost anything else.

"I'm here to see Griff Krenshaw," Lex said. "I'm his brother."

She glanced at her computer and typed a few things. "His visitor list is restricted."

"I know. I'm on it." He handed over his fake ID. He knew he was on the visitor list because he'd hacked into the hospital computer on his laptop from the parking lot and checked. Jackson had been as good as his word.

She looked his ID over carefully, but Lex wasn't worried. Joshua did good work. Finally, she noted something in her computer and said, "He's in room 304."

Lex had already known that too, but he just smiled and held out his hand for his ID. She handed it over and went back to her computer, already on to her next task.

Lex walked down the hall, scanning for security. He made two, one man and one woman. He knew they had noted him, but he moved along as if he hadn't noticed the scrutiny. He was mildly surprised when neither of them questioned him, and he supposed they had some way of communicating with the nurse who had cleared him. Or there had been a third watcher he had missed. Damn! That was more likely. He'd have to pay attention on the way out.

He almost stumbled as he realized he was unconsciously planning to break Griff out of this place. He knew Joshua would have something to say about that, but he couldn't stop himself from noting angles, lines of sight and escape routes. Well, backup plans were never a bad idea.

He paused outside the door to 304. He wanted this. He did. But now that he was here, he was oddly hesitant. He gave himself a firm mental shake, opened the door and went in.

Griff had a private room, for which Lex was grateful. He needed to have a conversation with the man, which was going to be easier if no one could listen in.

Which reminded him. He closed the door and took an RF detector out of his pocket. Quickly, he scanned the room, avoiding looking at sleeping Griff until he was done. Once he had determined the room was clean, he put away the device and finally let himself look.

Griff didn't look much better than he had the night before. No one had cleaned him up, which offended Lex. His eyes were still sunken with heavy dark circles, almost bruises, under them. He was in a basic hospital gown instead of the straight-jacket, but Lex's eyes flicked to his arms, which were in restraints.

Anger rose in him, but he pushed it down. While the entire situation bothered him, he reminded himself that this was a process. It didn't stop him from scanning the room a second time, noting that the windows didn't look like they could be opened. There was a second door, but it only led into a small bathroom.

_Focus, Lex_ he reminded himself. _You're here to get information, not for a jail break._

There was an uncomfortable-looking plastic chair against the wall by the bathroom, and he moved it beside of the bed and sat down. He was tempted to unfasten the restraints, but managed to talk himself out of it. Instead, he reached out and took Griff's hand, enclosing it in both of his.

It was cold, and he made a note to see if he could get someone to bring an extra blanket. The room was chilly, and he suspected Griff didn't have many reserves to waste on keeping himself warm.

Lex felt an odd connection as he held Griff's hand, but he decided it was probably due to the similarity in their appearances. He wondered if this was anything like having a twin.

Griff stirred, hand briefly clasping Lex's harder. His head turned, and his eyelids fluttered, as if he were waking.

Lex froze. Should he say something? Would that be too weird? His voice wouldn't sound familiar to Griff, unless the agent listened to recordings of himself a lot. Would he do that?

Before he could decide anything, Griff turned his head and opened his eyes. They didn't focus immediately, and Lex squeezed the hand he held, trying to let the man know he wasn't alone.

"Who? Where?" The voice was rough from disuse but clear.

Lex cleared his throat. "Griff. I mean, Agent Krenshaw? You don't know me, but—" But what? What did he say? What would make even the slightest bit of sense?

Griff's head tracked the sound of Lex's voice, and his eyes focused. Well, this was where things would be okay or would go completely to Hell.

Griff blinked and shook his head. Then he looked again. "You don't look like the last one."

The last one? The last one what?

"I'm sorry," Lex said. "I don’t know what you mean."

Griff cleared his throat and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he seemed more alert. He glanced down at his arms in restraints and squeezed Lex's hand. When he spoke, his voice was clearer. "You're not the first person I've seen who looks like me." He seemed to think for a moment. "My memory's pretty bad, but I think you might be the third. Or maybe the fourth." He shook his head. "Sorry. It's still hard to think. I'm still pretty doped up, I guess."

Lex's thoughts were racing. This was not what he had expected. It seemed unlikely that Bill or Sam, both of whom were in the Midwest, were the ones Griff had seen. So that meant there were six or seven of them? Again, what had Jackson stumbled across?

Griff was watching him. "You know something of what I'm talking about, don’t you? But not much?"

Lex managed to halt his whirling thoughts, at least for the moment. There was at least one thing that had to come out of this conversation. "I do, but before we get into that, if anyone asks, I'm your brother."

Griff looked confused for a moment, but then his expression cleared. "False ID to get in here, then?"

"Yeah. And, well, I'm kind of the reason you're out of Alpha Omega."

Griff's eyes widened. "You're the one who was watching me."

Huh?

"How…how did you know that?"

Griff shook his head. "I don't know. That's one of the things I don't understand. I just…knew that someone was watching me from the walls." He paused and then said, "Okay, that was probably a hallucination. I had a lot of those. It was a camera in the ceiling, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Lex wasn't sure what to say to that.

Fortunately, Griff spoke. "So, you're my brother. Okay. I can go with that. Anything else I should know about you…brother?"

For someone who had been doped up to his eyeballs and presumably still was, he was amazingly alert and aware and getting more so by the minute. Which was definitely weird.

"Umm. Just that we're not close which is why we don’t know much about each other."

Griff nodded. "That makes sense. So who are you really?"

Lex didn't hesitate. "CIA. I was following a suspicious money trail, and I found you."

"So you don't know much beyond that?"

"No. I was hoping you could fill in some of the blanks."

Griff's gaze dropped to their joined hands. "Didn’t realize holding hands was part of CIA interrogation techniques."

Lex reflexively started to let go, but Griff gripped him hard.

"I didn’t say I wanted you to let go." He stared off for a moment, and Lex relaxed, not letting go of Griff's hand. "I actually have no idea how long it's been since someone touched me in a non-medical way."

His eyes tracked back to Lex, and Griff smiled. Lex felt as if he'd been punched in the gut. That smile! He flashed back to his shower, and it took every bit of effort to keep his reaction off his face.

"It's nice," Griff finished. The smile slipped. "So I'm okay with it if you are."

"Yeah," was about all Lex could get past his suddenly dry lips.

He was saved from having to think of something else to say by a woman's voice out in the hallway. "No, I don't think _you_ understand. That man is dangerous, and he is under my care."

Lex started to get up to investigate, but Griff suddenly gripped him so hard it hurt. Lex turned to look at the man and froze when he saw the look in Griff's eyes.

Naked fear.

He sat back down and whispered, "Griff, who is it?"

Griff started to speak, but no words came out. He shook his head and tried again, finally managing to say, "Dana. She's the reason I was at that place."

Lex could only hear Dana's side of the conversation, but it was obvious she was trying to come into the room while someone, presumably one of the agents he'd spotted, was preventing her. He heard a whimper and realized Griff had moved as far across the bed as the restraints allowed. He was panting, and his eyes were wide.

"I'm not going to let her take you back, Griff. Don't worry."

He wasn't certain the man had heard. His eyes were open, but Lex wasn't sure he was seeing the hospital room. It looked as if he were staring into the very gates of Hell. He started to get up again, with the vague intent to confront Dana, but Griff stopped him.

"No. She mustn't see you. She can't know you exist."

Lex's brain kicked into gear, and he realized Griff was right. If Dana was responsible for the shape Griff was in, then she might be in on the…whatever it was. Apparently they didn’t know where they all were or Lex suspected he would have already been in a place like Alpha Omega.

"Okay, Griff. I won't go out there, but I want to look out, just enough so I know what she looks like."

Griff gave another whimper but finally let go of Lex's hand.

Stepping quietly, Lex moved to the door and opened it a crack, just enough to peer outside. He could see a woman confronting both of the watchers he'd spotted. They were between Dana and Griff's room and were obviously preventing her from going down the hall.

Lex memorized her features. She was thin with blonde hair that fell past her shoulders. She was wearing hospital scrubs and might have looked pretty if her face weren't screwed up in fury. She looked like a woman who was used to getting what she wanted and didn't deal well with being denied. On the other hand, the two agents appeared to have things well in hand, and Lex slowly closed the door and walked back to the bed.

Griff still shrank back at the limits of his restraints, and Lex took his hand again. "It's okay. There are two agents, FBI, I'm assuming, and they look like they can handle her. I don't think she's getting in here."

"Not now, maybe, but I'm not safe as long as I'm here," Griff said. "She won't stop until she has me back again."

"Why?" Lex asked "What is going on?"

Griff shook his head, his expression miserable. "I don't know. I don't know what they want. I…just know they said something about me having this evil gene or whatever. That I was violent, and…I did things."

He lowered his gaze to the bed and tried to pull his hand from Lex, but he wouldn't let go. "You should get far away from me. I'm dangerous. They said so."

Those last words had the cadence of something Griff had heard often enough that he'd internalized them, but they didn't have the ring of truth. Lex had seen the file, and he knew about the guard Griff had supposedly killed with a pair of scissors. Even if Griff really had killed the man, Lex strongly suspected there was more to the story.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me, ma'am," came from the hallway.

Dana's voice, protesting her treatment could be heard clearly, but it was getting farther away, and Lex relaxed a bit. The agents were escorting her from the building, which was good. Griff relaxed fractionally as her voice faded from hearing.

"Okay, she's gone," Lex said.

"She'll be back," Griff said. "Maybe you should just let her—"

"No!" Lex said, his voice firm but not loud enough to be heard in the hallway. "That's not happening. Something weird is going on here, and we're going to figure it out. I'm not letting anyone hurt you again."

"Why?" Griff asked. "Why do you care?" His voice was low and flat.

Lex wasn't sure of the answer. He knew he wanted to protect Griff. No, it was more than that. He _had_ to protect him. But he had no idea why. That wasn't what Griff wanted to hear, though, so all he said was, "I don't know what's going on, but ever since I saw you on the video feed—yeah, that was me---I've felt…I don't know…pulled to you.' He gripped Griff's hand harder. "And I'm going to figure this out. I'm thinking I'm not going to be safe either until I do that."

"Maybe not even then."

Lex shrugged. "Maybe not, but we'll worry about that later."

The door opened, and both Lex and Griff jumped. However, it was just the nurse from the station down the hall. Her eyes darted to their joined hands, but she didn’t say anything. Lex refused to let go. They were brothers, right? Brothers could hold hands if they wanted to.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Krenshaw, but you're going to need to leave. The doctor needs to examine your brother and send him for some tests. It will probably take until after visiting hours are over."

"What kind of tests?" Lex asked, not liking the sound of that. From the way Griff held him, the other man didn't like it either.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to discuss Mr. Krenshaw's treatment with you."

"But I'm his next of kin."

"That may be, but you're not listed on his medical power of attorney."

Well, that was an oversight Lex intended to fix as soon as possible. He turned to Griff. "I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"

From the expression on Griff's face, it was obvious he didn’t think anything about this was "okay," but he nodded and said, "Yeah. Thanks for stopping by, brother. I'll see you tomorrow."

Lex nodded. Message received. Griff would do his part to keep his cover story intact. He gave one last squeeze and got up to leave.

Walking out of that hospital room was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. He just hoped Griff would still be there tomorrow.

***

On his way out of the hospital, he called Joshua.

"Learn anything?" his boss asked.

"Not as much as I'd like." He spoke while walking to his bike. "Apparently there are even more of our twins out there. I'm not the first one Griff has seen, and I don’t think he was talking about Bill or Sam." Lex wondered when or if he'd end up meeting them.

"More of you…err…them?" Joshua's voice was dry. "I'm not sure the world is ready for that."

"I'm serious, Joshua," Lex said. "I think he's in danger. We've got to get him out of there."

Several people passed him in the parking lot, and he lowered his voice, not wanting to be heard.

"What makes you think that?"

"There's some Dana chick that tried to get into his room. I think I remember her from the file."

"Yes. She's the one who 'discovered' that he had the probably non-existent evil gene."

"Yeah, that one." A man passed him, giving him a curious look. Lex nodded pleasantly at him, which was, oddly enough, a good way to avoid being remembered. "Well, you should have seen Griff's reaction. He was terrified she'd get custody of him again. A couple of agents escorted her out, but I'm certain she'll try again."

"Jackson assigned one of our agents to keep an eye on things. He's been tasked with watching both Griff and the FBI agents who are also watching him."

So he'd been right about the two agents being FBI. He shouldn't have been pleased at failing to make his own agency's agent, but then that was probably all to the good.

"That's something, but I don't think it'll be enough."

Something was nagging at him, and he paused, listening to his instincts. Was it the guy he'd nodded at? What was it?

Then he got it. The bulge under his coat, which he had noted without consciously realizing it. The telltale bulge of a concealed pistol. While not necessarily a cause for concern, D.C. did have a concealed carry law, all of Lex's instincts were screaming at him.

He didn’t question it and started moving back to the hospital. He wanted to run but knew that would draw too much attention. Instead, he spoke quietly but firmly into the phone. "Joshua. I think someone is going to try to kill Griff. Get a team over here immediately."

"Lex! What are you doing?" Joshua's voice was worried.

"If I'm right, I'm going to stop him." He knew he should be nervous. He'd done little field work—mostly he'd been holed up in dirty rooms watching computer screens--but he'd been trained, and his brain was working at top speed. He'd already noted entrances and exits into the building and Griff's wing, and he knew the route he'd take.

"Lex!"

"Just get them here." He hung up on his boss and started walking faster.

Apparently he had moved faster than the would-be-assassin. He saw the man just entering the hospital through the main entrance. Lex didn't follow him, knowing he could get to Griff faster through a different entrance. He upped his pace to just shy of a jog. Several people watched him curiously, but he ignored them. Right now, if someone called security, that would be to his advantage. As long as Griff survived, he'd deal with the bureaucracy later.

He entered through the side entrance and darted to the stairwell. His mind calculated the probable timing of the assassin. Assuming he took the elevator, Lex would just beat him.

He took the stairs two at a time, wishing his legs were long enough to clear three. However, he made it to the third floor quickly. He took a deep breath and hoped the assassin wasn't on the other side. Carefully, he opened the door and peered out. The hallway was clear.

He ran through the floor plan he'd memorized earlier and realized he could avoid the nurse's station if he turned right and came at Griff's room from the other direction. Assuming the assassin took the normal route, this also had the advantage of allowing Lex to see him coming.

He left the stairwell and turned right, moving as if he belonged. He'd been taught that in training. Move confidently, as if you belonged, and most people would let you go.

Lex started a mental countdown as he passed rooms. 316. 314. He quickened his steps just a bit. 312. 310. Getting close. 308.

Just as he passed 306, he saw the man coming down the hall, passing the nurse's station. It was just his luck that the nurse manning the station was looking down at that moment and didn't see the man go by her.

Lex didn't meet the man's gaze and kept walking as if he intended to continue down the hallway. The assassin's eyes were moving, taking in his surroundings, but his gaze moved over Lex. That was a lucky break, and he took advantage of it to stop suddenly and turn into Griff's room.

Griff was still there and alone. Lex had the sudden suspicion that there never had been any doctor's visit or tests. It had all been a ploy to get him out of the room and clear the way for the assassin. Which explained why the nurse hadn't tried to stop the man.

Griff was opening his mouth, presumably to ask what was happening, when Lex heard the unmistakable _pfft_ of a silenced pistol. Griff's head came up, and Lex nodded at him. He heard a thud of a body hitting the floor outside, and he suspected one of the agents guarding Griff had just gone down. He hoped it wasn't the CIA agent.

Griff was motioning at him and mouthing something. Lex paid attention and got it. He positioned himself by the doorway, on the side that wouldn't be blocked by the open door. Griff nodded at him approvingly.

Lex had just enough time to run through the hand-to-hand training he'd had before the door opened, and the assassin stepped through, gun held low but starting to come up. Lex moved forward, grabbed the assassin's arm, shoving his arm and gun toward the ceiling. The assassin jerked in reaction, but Lex's grip was firm. He pivoted on his left leg and did a perfect leg sweep to the assassin's knee, taking him down. As soon as he was down, Lex kicked him in the kidneys and the assassin doubled up, also dropping his gun.

Lex slid around him and grabbed the gun. As soon as he did so, he heard another silenced shot and white hot pain exploded in his left arm.

"Lex!" came Griff's frantic voice from within his room.

Adrenalin was pumping through him, enough to temporarily counteract the pain. He dashed back into the room and dove for the bed. He'd judged the angle correctly, and the bed, including Griff, rolled onto its side, providing the restrained man with a tiny bit of cover. Lex rolled over the falling bed and managed to end upright and basically facing the door, crouched behind the bed.

"Lex, you've been shot," came Griff's calm voice from somewhere off to his right.

"Yeah, I'll deal with it later. Keep your head down. At least one more bad guy out there."

Hot blood poured down his arm, but he ignored it. Plenty of time to worry about blood loss when no one was shooting at him.

He felt Griff's hand fumbling near him, finally landing on his leg. The contact grounded him, and he relaxed, propping the pistol on the bed, ready to shoot the next person who came through the door.

A moment later, a gun poked its way around the door frame. A part of Lex's awareness noted the silencer and came to the conclusion that it had to be a bad guy. Lex breathed out, squeezed the trigger and shot as soon as a torso cleared the door frame.

The shot was clean, taking the shooter in the chest. He dropped to the floor, gun falling from his outstretched hand.

All the adrenalin left him, and Lex became aware of the shooting pain in his arm.

The last thing he remembered before passing out was Griff's frantic voice calling his name over and over.


	7. Chapter 7

Awareness returned slowly. His left arm hurt. There were regular electronic beeping noises around him. He was pretty sure he wasn't at home, but where was he?

Memory returned, and he sat straight up in bed. "Griff!"

A hand steadied him. "Lex, it's okay."

Lex turned to the sound of the voice. Joshua.

His eyes focused on his surroundings. The CIA med bay. Right, he'd been shot.

"Where's Griff?"

Joshua pointed off to Lex's right, and he tracked the motion, finally seeing the man in another bed, twenty feet or so away. His eyes were closed, and his chest rose and fell steadily. Griff was alive and looked no worse than he had at Sibley Hospital, better even. Someone had given him a set of scrubs. Lex had noticed over the years that hospital patient gowns made everyone look sick, so scrubs were a marked improvement.

Lex let out a long breath in relief and relaxed back onto his pillow. "What happened?" he asked Joshua.

"That was one of the questions I had for you. When our team showed up, you were unconscious and being patched up. One of the shooters was dead. The other was apparently in need of emergency surgery—nice job with kicking him in the kidneys by the way—and our agent was down."

"Dead?" Lex asked, fearing the worst.

"Fortunately, no. He's expected to pull through."

A memory intruded: pulling the trigger and blood flying, but he pushed it aside. Later. He'd deal with that later. "What about the FBI agents? Where were they?"

Joshua's face grew grave. "That's the interesting part. As far as we can tell, they were actual FBI agents, but they were also gone by the time we got there. According to witnesses, they left several minutes before the shooting happened."

Now it made sense. "They must have left about the same time the nurse asked me to leave. The nurse was in on the whole thing, by the way."

Joshua's eyes widened. "We didn't know that." He took out his cell phone and made a call. Lex used the time to glance over at Griff, who was still sleeping.

"Jackson. The nurse at the station," Joshua was saying into his phone. "Lex says she was in on the plan."

Lex could hear Jackson's voice on the other end of the line, but he couldn't make out the words. A moment later, Joshua said, "Make sure you do," and hung up.

"He'll get someone to find her."

"Assuming she isn’t long gone," Lex said, knowing too well how these things worked.

"Assuming that," Joshua agreed. "So what else can you tell us?"

Lex shrugged and winced, forgetting about his left arm in a sling. "Not much more than I said over the phone. Griff says Dana is a part of it, so she might be able to fill in more pieces."

"She's gone too."

Lex sighed. "So they know we're onto something, and they're making sure we can't get to anyone to question."

"Except for your Mr. Krenshaw. We do still have him," Joshua said.

Lex looked over at the other bed again. "Yes, we do, but he said he doesn't know much." He faced his boss. "Thanks for getting rid of the restraints, by the way."

Joshua shrugged. "He can't go far, and it appears as if he is more _in_ danger than _being_ a danger, so until he does something to prove otherwise, no need for restraints."

Lex said nothing, still trying to work out anything about what was going on.

"One odd thing, though," Joshua added.

Lex forced his attention back. "What's that?"

"While you were in surgery, we had Griff in here. He was very agitated. The doctor gave him a light sedative, which he didn't want to do with all the other stuff still in his system, but there was no other way to get him to calm down. I reassured him that you would be fine, but that only helped a little. Then, as soon as they wheeled you in here, he settled down and drifted off. He's been sleeping ever since."

Frowning, Lex asked. "How long ago was that?"

Joshua glanced at his watch. "About six hours, give or take. You were out for a while."

Les decided to finally give in to the impulse he'd been resisting ever since he'd seen Griff in the other bed. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and started to get up. He noted as he pushed back the sheet that someone had also given him a set of scrubs. He guessed Joshua. In the aftermath of Matt's shooting last year, he had told his boss about his theory of hospital gowns and what they did to appearance.

"Whoa. Where are you going?" Joshua reached out a hand to grip his arm, which was a good thing because Lex discovered that he was still weak. Without Joshua's support, he would have fallen.

"Over to him. Help me up," Lex said, still determined.

"All right," Joshua said, drawing out the two words. "Give me a minute." He got up and moved a chair over to the side of Griff's bed. Lex noted that it didn't look any more comfortable than the one at the hospital. Then Joshua came back and put a strong arm around Lex's waist, half carrying him to the chair. Lex sat down heavily and reached for Griff's hand.

Both men immediately noticed a difference. While he had been sleeping earlier, as soon as Lex touched him, Griff's brow smoothed, and he settled deeper into the bed, as if he were finally comfortable.

"All right. That adds to the weird," Joshua said. "I mean, not that physical contact isn't comforting, but that was a dramatic difference, especially considering he's asleep."

"Yeah," Lex agreed, remembering how he'd felt that odd connection to Griff the first time he'd touched him. The sensation was back, but even stronger.

"What made you try it?" Joshua was asking.

"I felt like I almost had to," Lex answered. "Like I was being pulled." He looked at his boss straight on. "And you know what's even weirder?"

"I’m not sure I'm up for more weird today, but go ahead."

"Griff knew I'd been watching him on the video feed."

"How could he have possibly known that?"

"Good question. I don't know. And neither does he. But it's almost like we're supposed to be together or something." He had a sudden thought. "When I was in surgery, other than being agitated, what was he like?"

Joshua shook his head. "Not sure what you're looking for."

Lex started to wave his left arm in frustration, but stopped when both the sling and the stab of pain stopped him. "Did he seem out of it? Like he was drugged up?"

"Sure," Joshua said, obviously confused. "According to the doctor, there's still a lot of drugs working their way out of his system. Why?"

Lex spoke slowly, still trying to work things out. "He wasn't like that at all in the hospital. When I spoke to him, he was clear. Said he still had some trouble remembering things, but he didn't act like he was high on antipsychotics or anything like that."

"You're sure?" Joshua asked.

"Positive. I noted it at the time and thought it was weird. But before I could ask him about it, the nurse showed up and made me leave."

Jackson walked in at that moment. His eyes flicked down to Lex and Griff's joined hands, and Lex gave an inward sigh. He was obviously going to have to get used to that reaction from people. But it just didn't feel odd to him. It felt like he was where he was supposed to be.

"How are you, Lex?" Jackson asked. "I'd heard that the surgery went well."

"I'm okay, I guess." His arm was starting to hurt more, and he wondered how long it had been since he'd had painkillers.

"Jackson, where did you get the information about the money trail?" Joshua asked. "The first thing you gave Lex?"

Jackson pulled up a chair and raised an eyebrow at Joshua, who was still standing. Joshua nodded, and Jackson brought over another chair. Once everyone was seated, Jackson answered. "It was an anonymous email, actually. I thought it might be a hoax or gag which is why I tracked as much as I could on my own before bringing it to the department."

Lex brightened at that. An email he could trace, assuming he had his computer.

"You're supposed to be resting," Joshua said, obviously recognizing the expression on his subordinate's face.

"No time. They've already tried to kill him. They're not going to stop. And it's hard to believe there wasn't a watcher there. They probably know about me." He looked at Griff and squeezed his hand harder. "I'm not going to end up like that."

"We can set Lex up in a safe house," Jackson suggested. "That way he can get rest." The look the older man gave him made it clear he expected the young hacker to rest frequently.

"What about him?" Lex asked, motioning with his chin at Griff.

Jackson shrugged. "He should be fine here. It would be difficult for them to get to him."

"No!" both Joshua and Lex said, in unison.

Jackson gave them each puzzled looks.

Lex started to explain, but Joshua actually beat him to it. "They can't be separated. We don’t know why, exactly, but we do know it's a bad idea."

Jackson looked at Lex, as if for confirmation, and the young man nodded. He wasn't certain what else to say.

Jackson rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "All right. Do we know if Mr. Krenshaw can be moved?"

Joshua shrugged. "We can always ask." He got up and left the room.

Jackson fixed Lex with his gaze. "I'd appreciate an explanation."

"So would I," Lex responded. "It's just been pretty obvious that he's calmer and in better shape when he's close to me. The drugs in his system don't seem to affect him as much, which I know makes absolutely no sense, but there it is."

"Be careful, son," Jackson said. "Don't get too close. There's too much we don't know."

Lex was quite sure it was too late for that, but he wisely kept quiet.

Jackson came back with a doctor, who seemed resigned. "It's not a good idea, but if you are insistent, yes, he can be released. I just wouldn't advise it."

Joshua nodded at Lex. "You heard the man. Let's get you both ready to go."

Both Jackson and the doctor shot Joshua identical glares. "What I heard was that he didn't advise it," Jackson said.

"And what I heard was that he can be released. Good thing my hearing is better than yours, old man."

"You're older than I am!" Jackson protested. "By more than a decade."

"Pshaw! Age is all in the mind, and my mind is definitely younger than yours."

Lex cleared his throat. "If you two are done acting like an old married couple, we could be going. That email isn't going to trace itself, you know."

Things happened quickly after that. Jackson went to arrange a car and to task someone to go to Lex's apartment to get some clothes. Lex reminded Jackson that they needed to get two sets. Although Griff probably weighed less than Lex at the moment, his clothes would fit well enough. Lex also told Jackson where to find his laptop and peripherals. Fortunately, he had not unpacked his laptop bag since the raid on Alpha Omega.

Joshua assigned himself the task of gathering meds and discharge instructions.

Which left Lex to wake up Griff. He almost hated to do it. The man had slept through the entire conversation and appeared to be sleeping comfortably for the first time in a very long time. But he didn't think he could get him into a car without waking him, and, if they were anything alike, Griff would appreciate a few minutes to wake up and become alert.

He shook him gently and said, "Griff? Wake up."

It took a couple of attempts, but the man finally stirred and opened his eyes, rubbing them sleepily. "Lex?" he finally asked. "You okay?" Griff opened his eyes wider and ran his gaze up and down the young hacker. "Surgery went okay?"

Lex shrugged. "I guess so. I wasn't aware I was even in surgery until after it was over." He felt vaguely ashamed of that. Stiles would have probably stayed alert through the whole thing, giving everyone important information. If it had been Stiles, the case might even be solved now. But, no, Lex had just passed out.

A gentle hand touched his cheek. "Hey, none of that. You did well. We're both still alive. That's what counts."

Lex shook himself. "How'd you know what I was thinking?" Oh, God, this weird connection didn’t include mind reading now, did it?

Griff smiled at him. "Because I've seen that self-loathing expression in the mirror more times than I can count. It wasn't hard to guess what brought it on."

Lex gave a shaky laugh. "I guess I won't be able to get much past you, will I?"

"Probably not." Griff sat up and raised the hand Lex wasn't holding. "Oh. No restraints. Thank you."

Lex shook his head. "Don't thank me. Thank Joshua. It was actually his idea."

Griff screwed up his face in thought. "Which one's Joshua? There were a lot of people running around here for a while."

"Uh. Several inches taller than us. Beard with a lot of grey in it. But don't mention it to him. He gets defensive. Also, probably was giving everyone a lot of snark."

Griff nodded. "Okay. Got it. I know exactly who you're referring to."

Joshua came into the room at the moment, waving two bags. "Here are your prescriptions," he said. "Ah, Griff. Good to see you awake. Has my subordinate explained the plan yet?"

"There's a plan?" Griff asked.

"I guess that answers the question," Joshua said. "We're moving you to a safehouse, so Lex here can trace an email."

Griff gave both of them a puzzled look. "Why do we need to go to a safehouse for that?"

"Because apparently I can't be trusted to rest if I stay here and do it," Lex answered.

"Which is true. We need a special budget line item to keep him in caffeine," Joshua said with a grin. "Sometimes I think he'd sleep here if we didn’t kick him out."

"Not like I have a life," Lex groused.

He was surprised when Griff ran a gentle hand down his arm, and he couldn't help flashing back to his fantasy in the shower. Was Griff interested? He fought to keep the blush off his face, but suspected he failed when he saw the knowing grin from his boss.

Joshua exhibited unusual restraint by not needling him. All he said was, "And we've discovered that you do better when you're near Lex, so we're packing both of you up."

Griff gave both of them questioning looks. Lex shrugged. "Joshua said you were pretty agitated while I was in surgery, and I noticed that for someone who was doped up, you were pretty clear headed while I was with you."

Griff nodded but still looked confused at how quickly things were moving. "Okay. You all got me out of there. I'll go along with just about anything."

Two wheelchairs showed up just then. Lex protested but was overruled by both Joshua and Jackson, who had also arrived.

Ten minutes later, he had collapsed into the back of an armored SUV. Maybe the wheelchair had been a good idea.

Griff had settled himself on the far side of the backseat, head resting on the window, eyes closed. Apparently the transfer had exhausted him as well. Lex thought he looked lonely all the way over there. He considered for a moment, eyes darting to the front seat where Joshua was "entertaining" the driver with a discourse on…fox hunting? Really?

Oh, what the heck? He'd probably never see the driver again, and Joshua already knew about the odd connection he had with Griff.

"Griff," he said, still deciding to keep his voice low.

The man turned, opening tired eyes.

Lex extended his arm in invitation--handy that he'd taken the driver's side, leaving his good arm facing Griff. "Come here," he said.

Griff raised an eyebrow in question.

"Wouldn't ask if I didn't mean it," Lex replied.

Griff scooted over and tucked himself under Lex's arm, laying his head on the hacker's shoulder. A moment later, soft snores indicated he'd already drifted off.

Lex smiled, hugged him closer, and leaned onto Griff's head, pillowing himself. He was asleep in moments.


	8. Chapter 8

Lex awoke when the car came to a halt. He cracked open an eye and noticed Joshua grinning at him. His boss raised his phone and mimed taking a picture. Lex frowned in confusion until he realized what had attracted the older man's attention.

He looked down and saw that Griff had slid down and curled up on the seat, head pillowed on Lex's lap. Lex couldn't see his face, but his body looked relaxed.

 

Joshua spoke softly, "Wake him up and get him inside. You both need more sleep." With that, he opened his door and climbed out of the car.

Lex gently shook Griff. "Hey, man, Wake up. We're here."

Griff came awake with a start. Lex ran a soothing hand along his shoulder. "It's okay. Just me. We're at the safe house."

Griff sat up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sprawl all over you."

"S'okay." He turned awkwardly, trying to reach the door handle with his good arm.

"I got you," Griff said as he jumped out of the car and trotted around to open the door for Lex.

Lex was both embarrassed and touched by it. He got out and swayed a bit as he found his balance. Griff was right there, supporting him with an hand.

"Let's get inside. You do need more rest."

Lex shook his head as he walked. "Shower first. I feel sticky and disgusting." He glanced over at Griff. "No offense, man, but you need one too."

"None taken." Griff looked down at himself. "Can't argue with you there. Not sure the last time I had a shower."

They walked inside, where Joshua was there to show them around. The house was a sprawling two story thing on the outskirts of Leesburg. The kitchen alone was at least as large as Lex's entire apartment.

"There's food in the fridge, and the guys put all your stuff in the master bedroom, including your computer bag, Lex."

"Thanks, Joshua," Lex said. "I'll get on the trace right away."

"No!" both Joshua and Griff said in unison. They traded amused smiles when they realized they'd spoken in stereo.

"Nap and food first," Joshua said, using his stern "Dad" voice, which Lex always found hilarious since, as far as he knew, Joshua had never had kids.

"Yes, sir," he said, not having the energy to argue, which proved their point.

Joshua left, and Griff and Lex went up the stairs. The master bedroom was at the end of the upstairs hallway, and Lex stopped and just stared for a moment when he stepped inside.

The room was huge, by his standards. It wasn't quite as large as the kitchen, but it was still bigger than Lex thought was sane for a bedroom. After all, what did you do in a bedroom except sleep and have sex? Who needed that much room for those two things?

There was a king sized bed, two dressers, a couple of chairs and something Lex thought was a called a dressing table. Whatever that was.

Griff had wandered off and found the bathroom. "Lex," he called. "We have a choice of shower or bath. And I think the bath is a Jacuzzi."

Lex followed him and discovered the older man was right. There were also two sinks and, of course, a toilet. The hacker just shook his head. "Who can afford this sort of place?"

Griff was stripping out of his scrubs, dropping his clothes unceremoniously on the floor. "People with more money than sense. Most people who buy these things are in debt up to their eyeballs. In this town, that leads to trouble." He stepped into the shower, closed the frosted glass door and started the water.

Lex knew what he was talking about. He'd tracked down enough bribery money through the accounts of lower and upper level government functionaries to prove Griff's point many time over.

He watched the other man through the distortion of the door. He had the crazy idea to join him in the shower, but shook himself back to sense.

"I'm going to run back to the kitchen. See if I can find a plastic trash bag or something to cover my arm."

"Sure thing," Griff said, voice muffled by falling water.

Lex went back into the bedroom and noticed two suitcases, neither of them his, sitting by the bed.

He opened them and found an assortment of his clothes: jeans, t-shirts, polo shirts, socks and underwear. It felt a bit weird to have had agents going through his clothes. Good thing he kept his porn under his mattress, not in his drawers.

He got out two t-shirts, both plain, and two pairs of boxers. That would be enough for sleeping, right? After a moment's consideration, he added two pairs of sweats that he found in the bottom of the second suitcase.

Griff was still in the shower, and Lex wandered tiredly downstairs to the kitchen. He had just found a box of trash bags when he heard a muffled scream and loud thump from upstairs.

He didn't even think. Still holding the trash bag, he grabbed a large knife from the counter and raced back upstairs, adrenaline temporarily overcoming the pain in his shoulder.

At the top of the stairs, he forced himself to slow down and move cautiously, not sure what he'd find. He peered into the bedroom. No one. However, he heard whimpering sounds of fear from the bathroom. It didn't sound as if Griff were fighting someone, but he gripped the knife in his good hand, just in case.

When he looked into the bathroom, he saw Griff huddled on the floor, arms around himself, shivering. His head was raised, and his eyes were pleading, as if begging someone not to hurt him. However, there was no one there.

Shit! His file had indicated Griff had hallucinations. Lex took a moment to dart back to the bedroom and shove the knife into a dresser drawer. The file also said he'd killed someone with a pair of scissors. No reason to take chances.

Then he went back into the bathroom. Griff was still on the floor, making low noises of distress.

What to do? He'd heard it was a bad idea to touch someone who was panicking. On the other hand, Griff seemed to do better when Lex was touching him.

He finally decided _fuck it_ when he saw Griff crying out louder and backpedaling naked across the floor. He walked over, moving slowly and speaking clearly. "Griff? It's me, Lex. You're okay. There's no one here but me. Whatever you're seeing isn’t real."

When he reached the other man, he knelt down and placed a hand on Griff's shoulder. When he didn't flinch back or seem more distressed, Lex settled behind him, wrapping his good arm loosely around Griff's wet and soapy torso. Oh, well. He'd planned to toss the scrubs anyway.

Almost immediately, Griff quieted, and his muscles relaxed. Good. He'd apparently guessed right.

"Lex?"

"Yeah, Griff. You're okay. What happened?"

There as a long pause before the other man answered. "Umm. Everything was okay. I was in the shower. But then…then I saw my brother. He had a gun. I knew he was going to use it on me."

Lex was confused. Griff hadn't had any hallucinations in the time they'd been together. He'd only been in the kitchen…

Then it hit him. This house was huge. The kitchen was all the way downstairs, at the front of the house while the master bathroom was in the back.

Griff stayed in his arms, not speaking but still shivering.

"I think I just got too far away from you," Lex said. "And you're not on any meds. I'm guessing whatever they gave you at Alpha Omega is working its way out of your system."

Griff shook harder. "I don't want to go back to how I was at Godfrey. I was seeing my brother all the time."

Lex held him a little bit tighter, and Griff turned his head, burying it into Lex's chest. "It's okay. We still need to figure out why my being close to you helps, but we know it does. No hallucinations now, right?"

Griff shook his head.

"Okay. So we stay really close for now. Like never more than one room apart."

"But you can't live like that. You need to work. I can't stay next to you while you're working."

Lex kept his voice low and reassuring. "It won't be forever. We're gonna figure this out. We'll figure out how to make you better." He hoped he'd be able to make good on that.

"But what if you can't?" Griff's voice was high and thready.

"Then we'll sue the hell out of all the companies involved in making you like this. And we'll take the money and move to a tropical island somewhere. We both need to work on our tans."

That surprised a small chuckle out of Griff, and Lex knew the current crisis had passed. "You’re wet and soapy. Let's get you back into the shower and rinsed off. Then I can take my shower."

He stood up and gently pulled Griff with him. The older man allowed himself to be guided back into the shower, which was still running. Fortunately, the thing was huge, and the showerhead was aimed away from the door, so very little water had run onto the floor.

Lex stayed close by, perched on the edge of the Jacuzzi. While Griff rinsed off, Lex struggled out of his shirt and tried to figure out a way to tie the plastic bag over his sling and bandage. He was about to give up when gentle hands took the bag from him, slid it over the sling and knotted it.

"It's easier with two hands," Griff said, his voice low and almost intimate.

Lex suddenly realized Griff was behind him, naked. He tried to convince his emotions, and other parts of him, that this wasn't an appropriate time. With some effort, he got himself under control and managed to say, "Thank you."

"Anytime."

"I got some clothes out for you. Just a t-shirt and sweats, but that should be okay for sleeping, right?"

"Sure." Griff hadn’t removed his hands from Lex's shoulder, and he wondered what, if anything, that meant. Probably nothing. He just felt better when he was touching Lex. Yes, that must be it.

He stood up and slid down the loose scrub pants, not trusting himself to turn around. Instead, he stepped into the shower, closed the door and turned on the water. He was fine until he was ready to wash his hair. No matter what he tried, he couldn't open and pour the shampoo with just one hand.

"Damn!" he exclaimed after the third try and fumbling around his feet to retrieve the tiny bottle. Why couldn't they stock the safe house with decent sized shampoo bottles?

"What's wrong?" Griff asked.

"Can't manage the shampoo," Lex said.

There was a pause and then Griff said, "Let me help." Lex heard the shower door click open, and he froze, both wanting and not wanting to turn around.

"Sit down and hand me the bottle. Point the showerhead against the wall so we don't flood the place."

Lex did as he was asked. A moment later, strong fingers massaged shampoo into his hair. He was grateful he was sitting down because it felt good in just about every way, and his dick wasn't getting the message that this was just…uhh platonic hair washing? Was that even a thing?

He said nothing, just enjoyed the sensation of hands in his hair. He wondered why he'd never thought of having one of his ex-girlfriends do this for him. Well, okay, if he was being honest with himself, it might have had something to do with not having had a girlfriend for more than a few weeks. And his last one had been psycho.

Too soon, Griff finished and said, "Okay. Rinse off, and I think you're good."

Lex stood up and closed the door. "Thanks."

"Anytime. I brought your clothes in here. I'll be in the other room."

"Be out in a few minutes."

Lex rinsed off quickly. His emotions were jumping all over the place, but he was also tired and wanted his painkiller and a nap, in that order.

He got out of the shower, dried off with some difficulty and got dressed. He managed to get his t-shirt over the bandage on his shoulder, although he gave up on the sling and carried it with him into the bedroom.

Griff was sitting on the bed, staring absently out the window.

"You doing okay?" Lex asked as he entered.

Griff turned to him. "Yeah. I guess. Just tired." He stood up and walked over, taking the sling from Lex. "I was waiting for you to finish. I thought you’d probably need help with this." He positioned and fastened the sling.

"Thanks."

Griff walked to the bedside table and held up a pill. "I was thinking it might be time for you to have one of these. You were holding your arm kinda stiff, like you were in pain."

Lex took it gratefully, swallowing it down with the glass of water Griff handed him. He'd thought of everything. Then he flopped down on the bed, lying down on his right side and pulling over a pillow to support his injured shoulder.

He heard Griff padding across the floor. "I'll see you later."

Lex sat up and saw Griff apparently leaving the room. "Where are you going? Didn’t you want some sleep too?"

"Yeah." Griff waved vaguely in the direction of the bedroom next door. "This is your room. I figured I'd sleep in the next room."

Lex shook his head firmly. "No way." He motioned to the huge bed. "There's plenty of room. I'm guessing you'll sleep better here."

Griff hesitated, and Lex could tell he wanted to. "You sure?"

"I'm sure."

Griff shrugged and walked back over to lie down on the other side. He left a huge gap between them, and Lex decided that was the best he was going to get for now.

He settled himself again, pulled up the covers and was out in moments.


	9. Chapter 9

_ Lex crouched behind the overturned hospital bed. Griff was next to him. Lex knew they were both going to die. There was nothing he was going to be able to do to prevent it. _

_ The assassin came around the corner, pistol outstretched. Lex knew he was going to miss. He'd miss, but the assassin wouldn't. _

_ He fired. The bullet hit the assassin in the center of his chest. Lex could see the hole, which widened to swallow up everything. _

Lex woke up, sweating and shivering. He sat up, looking around wildly. No assassin. No hospital. He was still in the safe house, in the middle of the huge bed. Soft snores beside him indicated Griff was still there, still asleep.

Lex sat up, knees pressed against his chest, good arm wrapped around his legs. He hunched in, making himself as small as possible.

He had killed a man. He was a killer.

The thought ran endlessly through his mind. He didn’t know what to do with it. He knew he had to process it somehow, but he had no idea how. No frame of reference. His training hadn't included this because no one had expected him to get into shootouts. That was Stiles' role on the team. Lex was just the computer guy.

He shivered and started crying. He felt so useless and weak. Stiles would have just cleaned his gun and moved on. But Lex wasn't Stiles. He couldn’t do that.

He felt Griff move beside him, and now he felt awful because he'd woken the other man, who needed his rest.

"Lex? What's wrong?"

He wanted to answer, to tell Griff to go back to sleep, that he wasn't worth being up for, but he couldn't stop sobbing long enough to get words out.

Griff moved, sliding around to his uninjured side. Lex felt warm arms wrap around him, pulling him close. He fought for a second. He wasn't worth it. But in the end, he was too weak, and he wanted the contact.

"Lex? Was it a dream?" Then Griff's entire body froze for a moment before he said, "It was the guy you shot, right? That was the first time you've ever killed anyone, isn't it?"

Lex managed a nod through his shaking and rocking back and forth.

Gentle fingers moved through his hair. "It's okay. You did the right thing.  I'd have died if you hadn't. So would you. If you hadn't done it, neither of us would be here."

Lex finally found words. "But now I can't stop seeing the hole in his chest. And the blood."

"I know. I know. I've been there. I've had those dreams."

Of course he had. He'd had far worse, but was Griff sitting here shaking himself apart? No. He was trying to comfort Lex, but he didn't deserve it.

"Of course you do.”

Oh, God, had he said that out loud? He had never meant to say that out loud.

Griff continued, “No one should have to deal with that alone." Anger tinged his next words. "They knew you'd never killed anyone before. They should have had a counselor standing by for when you woke up. What were they thinking?"

Lex shook his head. "There was too much going on."

"Not an excuse." Griff hugged Lex tighter. Lex started sobbing again, turning his face into Griff's chest. "That's right, Lex. I got you. You let it out. That's what you need right now. Go ahead. I've got you."

Lex was never sure how long he cried, but Griff held him through all of it, holding him, talking him through it, telling him it would get better. Time would heal this like it healed everything.

Lex couldn't close his eyes. When he did, he saw the bullet fly and hit the assassin. It wasn't easy to cry with his eyes open, but it was harder to close them and keep seeing that.

Finally, he just didn't have the energy to do anything except lie limply in Griff's arms. The other man kept talking to him, reassuring him that he'd done the right thing. How grateful he was to still be alive because of Lex.

He didn’t believe it, but what could he say? Griff was being nice to him, and he wanted to hear the words, even though they didn’t apply to him. But they were still nice to hear.

He gradually became aware that Griff was asking him something else. “What was that? I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. You don’t need to apologize. I was just wondering what you needed. If there was anything else I could do for you.”

Lex knew what he wanted. He just didn’t think he deserved to ask for it.

Griff must have sensed that, or known from his own experience, because he said, “Whatever you want, Lex. Even if you don’t think you deserve it. You tell me what you want, and if I can get it for you, I will.”

Lex fought for the words. They didn’t want to come out, but finally, he managed. “Can you just hold me for a while? Maybe I can sleep again if you’re holding me.”

Griff gripped him tightly and gently slid them down the bed until Lex was pillowed on the other man’s chest. Fingers moved across his head, feeling as good as when Griff had washed his hair earlier. He was tired and maybe even starting to feel sleepy. “Thank you,” he said, his words barely audible,

Griff must have heard them because he said, “You’re welcome, Lex. I’m alive because of you. I’m out of that place because of you. Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”

Maybe Lex was starting to believe it because he found himself able to relax back into sleep, safe and warm in the arms of a man many believed to be a killer. Lex knew better. Griff was one of the best people in the world.

***

Griff couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t stop his mind from racing. When he thought about where he had been and where he was now, he couldn’t believe it. Especially since it was basically all due to the man he held in his arms. A man who trusted him enough to fall asleep with him.

Griff still didn’t trust himself. It was one of the reasons he had tried to sleep in the other room. He knew too well what he was capable of, and he hadn’t wanted to take the chance that he would hurt Lex. The young hacker had just become everything to him, and he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he hurt him.

He still marveled that Lex had come charging in while he was hallucinating. He knew Lex had read his file and should have known what he could do in that state. Griff had been just aware enough to know that Lex had barely hesitated before touching him. Why had he taken that chance? What if Griff had…done something?

Griff kept his fingers moving through Lex's hair. What was going on here? Why had Lex found him? Why did he only feel normal when he was with the young man?

And exactly what did he feel for Lex?

He'd only known him for a few days, and he'd been barely coherent for most of that time, but he already knew that he'd do anything for him. However, it was more than that. When he'd seen Lex in the shower, his body had wanted to respond, but he knew he still had too many drugs in his system. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually had any interest in sex. Well, actually, he could remember, but he didn’t want to. Dana. Everything wrong with his life right now seemed to go back to her.

He'd noticed the way Lex had carefully kept his back to him and had wondered if he'd had a similar reaction. Was this just the weird thing connecting them, or was there an actual attraction?

Griff let his eyes drift down to Lex, curled trustingly against him. Well, if it wasn't an actual attraction, it sure as heck felt like one to Griff.

Having worked that out as much as he could, he was finally also able to drift back to sleep. He had a feeling they were going to need to take advantage of it while they could.


	10. Chapter 10

Jackson entered Joshua's office and waited politely while Joshua finished adding the final touches to a visa.

When Joshua looked up, Jackson asked, "Have you heard anything from Lex yet?"

"Not yet." Joshua glanced over at his clock. "It hasn't actually been that long. Lex did just get shot, you know."

Jackson shifted the files in his hands. "I know. It's just…I have a feeling we need to move quickly on this."

Joshua looked as if he were considering something.

"What are you thinking?"

"What if we sent Stiles and Terri to investigate one of the companies Lex turned up." He reached for a file on his desk and flipped through it quickly. "Yes. I thought I remembered that one of them was located on the Dulles Corridor. They could pop in as—" His eyes went hazy for a moment in thought. "IRS agents. Yes, that would work. The IRS makes people nervous and less likely to be suspicious."

Jackson thought that was a good idea and said so. "How soon could you have them ready to go?"

Joshua gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Not long at all. Need to create a couple of fake IDs, and they can go."

"Can you properly backstop the IDs without Lex?" Jackson asked.

"This department  _ did _ function when that particular young man was still in grade school."

Jackson grinned at the affronted tone in his friend's voice. "Fair enough. It's a good idea. Let me know what they find. And call me when you've heard from Lex."

"Will do."

Jackson turned to leave, and he heard Joshua's voice call out, "Ms. Lowell. I have a job for you."

Jackson smiled. Everything was in good hands.


	11. Chapter 11

Griff awoke to Lex's voice saying something. He opened his eyes a crack, realized Lex hadn't moved from his chest and swallowed a couple of times to make sure his voice would work. "What did you say, Lex?"

"When do they stop, Griff?"

It took him a moment, but then he got it. "The dreams, you mean?"

"Yes." The words were muffled by Griff's chest, but he heard it.

How to answer that? The real answer was  _ probably not for a long time _ , but that wasn't what Lex needed to hear right now. Finally, he opted for, "It gets better over time, but they don't vanish right away."

"That's what I was afraid of."

"You did get some sleep, didn't you?" Late afternoon sun was filtering through the curtains, and Griff was pretty sure it had been early morning the last time he'd been awake.

"Some. I woke up a lot."

Griff ran his hands through Lex's hair again. "You should have woken me up."

"'S'okay. I just lay here and listened to your heart. I was able to get back to sleep eventually."

That statement simultaneously warmed and broke Griff's heart. Knowing that he was able to help Lex get back to sleep warred with wishing he'd been awake to help. However, he'd needed the sleep. He was feeling even better than the last time he'd been awake. He thought the drugs were finally working their way through his system.

That thought made him freeze, and Lex sat up. "What's wrong? Your heart rate just went way up."

Griff sat up too, unconsciously keeping his leg in contact with Lex. "I think the drugs are clearing my system. Which means I'm more likely to hallucinate. I don't want to hurt you, Lex."

The young hacker reached out and hugged him. "It's okay. You're not like that when you're close to me. We just will stay together."

Griff knew Lex meant stay together just until this was all over, but the statement still made his heart skip a beat. He was more certain than when he'd gone to sleep that his attraction to Lex was getting closer to love. And he was terrified the other man didn't feel the same way and would leave when this was all over.

Lex must have sensed something of what he was thinking because he tightened the hug and added, "I already said it was okay. We'll figure this out, and then—" He stopped.

Griff raised a questioning eyebrow.

Lex's face went completely red, and he shifted his weight back until he wasn't touching Griff anymore.

"What?" Griff asked, missing the contact immediately. Had Lex had a change of heart?

Lex swallowed hard and finally said, "Well, I was going to say we'd figure this out and that we'd still stay together, but then I wasn't sure you wanted to hear that. I mean, you've got a life I'm sure you'd like to get back to."

Griff was sure he must have heard wrong. Lex couldn't be saying what that sounded like.

The young hacker's eyes were staring fixedly at the rumpled bed spread, and the red hadn't left his face.

"Lex?" Griff asked, his tone soft.

He didn't raise his eyes. "Look. I know. You're not here for anything more than…"

Griff reached out with a finger and gently raised Lex's head. His tawny eyes were sad. "Hey. I didn't know how to say it, and I still don't know if I'm reading you right, but…well…I think I'm attracted to you."

Lex's face lit up like a bright sunny day. "You are?"

Griff couldn't help but smile at that expression. "Yeah. I mean, it's hard to sort out what's this weird connection and what might be…something else, but… Fuck, Lex, I really want to kiss you."

Lex leaned forward in obvious invitation, and Griff met him halfway. Their lips touched, and Griff knew he was lost. He'd never kissed a guy before, but it didn't seem that much different. A bit of scruff and an angular jaw, but that was it.

Lex didn't push it beyond an exploration of lips, and Griff was okay with that. After a moment, they broke apart.

"Was that okay?" Lex asked, sounding anxious.

Griff smiled and pulled him in close, settling the young man's head on his chest. "Yeah. That was more than okay."

Lex nuzzled him. "Yesterday. In the shower. I felt like such a perv, but my dick wasn't listening."

Griff gave a soft chuckle. "Yeah, I noticed. Thought maybe I'd misread it though."

Shaking his head, Lex said, "No. You read it right." He lifted his head in obvious invitation. Griff didn't hesitate.

They kissed longer this time. Lex nibbled his lower lip, and Griff opened up to deepen the kiss. They explored each other, and Griff liked the way the other man kissed. He was gentle and considerate, with just enough heat to let Griff know that it could be very good.

Lex shifted closer, and Griff could feel his erection against his leg. Unfortunately, although Griff was thoroughly enjoying the kiss, it wasn’t having the same effect on him. Apparently the drugs were still affecting him.

Lex must have realized because he broke off the kiss and moved an inch or so away. "I'm sorry. It's me. I…well, I had kind of a bad experience with a girlfriend not that long ago. It must be making me bad at kissing."

Griff leaned forward and kissed him, hard, making it as obvious as he could that it wasn't the case. Lex tackled him down on the bed, not breaking the kiss and pressing himself against Griff's stomach.

They wrestled good-naturedly for a minute before Lex pulled back, a puzzled frown on his face.

Griff reached out a hand to stroke the frown off his face. "It's not you, Lex. It's me. Damn drugs. I haven't had any interest in sex in months."

Lex's eyes widened. "Shit. I should have thought of that. I mean, if you don't want to."

Griff was shaking his head before Lex had even finished. "No, I want to. I definitely want to. You're a good kisser, and I'm loving it." He glanced down at himself. "I wish the rest of me were with the program, but maybe in a while." He gave Lex a shy smile. "I've never been with a guy before. Never even thought about it. But with you, yeah, I want that."

Lex smiled. "Never?"

"Nope. Pretty sheltered upbringing until I joined the military, which wasn't really into encouraging that sort of exploration. I never really looked at guys, but you." He lifted his head and kissed Lex on the chin. "You, I think I could get into." He got lost in memory for a moment. "Not like the last woman I was with did me any favors. Might have been enough to put me off women for a while."

Lex was nodding. "I know what you mean. My last 'girlfriend'—" Griff heard the emphasis on the word—"ended up working with someone to frame me for rape. She was crazy, and the one she was working with was just as crazy."

Griff pulled Lex into a close hug. "I can't imagine anyone doing that to someone as nice as you."

Lex shrugged. "In the past. I guess I've got you now." He looked down, shy again. "I do have you, don't I?"

Griff kissed the top of his head. "Oh yeah. You've got me. I mean, you fell asleep on me. Considering what I've done, I kinda think you might be crazy, but I can't give up the only person who doesn’t see me as a monster."

"You're not a monster!"

Griff stroked Lex's back. "Not many people would agree with you."

Lex lifted his head to look Griff straight in the eye. "You were there for me last night when I was a mess. I mean, everything you’ve been through, and you were there for me. Not a monster."

Griff wasn't sure what to do with the warmth that went through him. He'd had relationships, sure, but nothing that lasted, and no woman had ever looked at him like that. Or said things like that. Yeah, he'd fallen for Lex. And hard.

"I don't even—" He didn't know what to say, but Lex leaned forward and kissed him again. Griff followed his instincts and slid a hand between their bodies to grip Lex's erection.

The young man froze and pulled back. "You don't have to—"

"I want to, Lex. I mean, if you want me to." Suddenly Griff wasn't sure about the protocol here. "You’re still hurt. If you're not up to it."

Lex melted against him. "Yeah. I want you to. My shoulder's hurting some, but if I take pain killers, I'll be…well…like you."

Griff knew what he meant. "Shift over a bit, then."

Lex slid off of Griff, lying on his right side, keeping his injured arm supported on Griff's stomach. Griff tugged Lex's boxers down, revealing a cock that looked surprisingly like his own. Then again, it wasn't that surprising, was it?

It was hard and, not that he'd seen many other guys, from what women had told him, they were both large for guys. Women had always been surprised since Griff was so short. They'd expected him to be similarly sized below the waist.

Lex was grinning at him. "Same as you, huh?"

Griff grinned back and gave an experimental squeeze. Lex closed his eyes and thrust into his fist. "Yeah. Same."

In the end, it was pretty much like doing himself. It seemed that Lex liked the same things, and by the time Lex came, Griff felt like he knew how to make it even better next time.

Of course, they made a mess all over the sheets, but neither of them cared. Lex settled himself back onto Griff's chest. The older man considered. He'd never really looked at guys, but he thought he could look at Lex for a very long time.

They cuddled for a few minutes before Lex's stomach rumbling made them both laugh. "Maybe we should get something to eat?" Griff asked. He wasn't hungry, but he knew he needed something. He hadn't felt hunger in a long time either, and he hoped that would come back as soon as the drugs cleared his system.

Lex sat up. "I guess. And I should trace that email. We've been slothful long enough."

Griff leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. It was silly that, considering what they had just done, he had doubts about whether it was all right, but Lex kissed back without hesitation. "Sloth has its good points," Griff pointed out when they broke apart.

Lex was smiling. "I'll agree with that."

Griff got up, found the sweats Lex had put out for him and pulled them on. "I can cook, assuming there's something in the kitchen."

Lex was pulling up his sweats with one hand and frowning at his sling. "Thanks. I hope there's coffee. I can trace the email while you make us food."

"Deal." Griff hesitated a moment before reaching out a hand. Lex took it immediately but then looked sadly at his laptop bag. Griff laughed and picked it up. "I've got two good ones."

They walked downstairs, hand in hand. Griff felt vaguely silly about it, but he also liked it, and Lex didn't seem to mind.

In the kitchen, Lex started to set up his laptop while Griff rummaged around for food. There were two cartons of eggs in the fridge, and they looked good, even though it was late afternoon. He glanced over at Lex, who was setting up his laptop on the side of the breakfast bar closest to the stove. He liked that. It meant Lex was in easy touching range. There was also bacon and, when he opened a cupboard, he found bread.

"I know it's practically dinner time, but are you okay with breakfast food? It looks good to me."

Lex gave a shrug with his injured arm while he booted up his laptop. "Works for me. If you're cooking, I'm not gonna be picky."

"Okay." Before starting to cook, Griff found the pods for the fancy coffee maker and started a cup for Lex. While the machine burbled along, he got out several eggs. "How do you like yours?"

Lex was hunched over his laptop, alternating between typing with one hand and using the mouse. From the set of his back, Griff could tell the hacker wasn't happy with having his style cramped so much. "Don't care. Scrambled, if it's easiest. Just not runny, okay?"

"Scrambled it is." The coffee mug was full by then, so he put it within easy reach of Lex, who grabbed it and downed half of it in one swallow. Griff winced. Then Griff cooked some bacon and scrambled the eggs in the grease. Sure, it was unhealthy, but there was no guarantee they'd live through the next few days, so cholesterol wasn't high on his list of worries. He made some toast and finally dumped everything on two plates.

He couldn't help reaching out and touching Lex occasionally while he cooked. Nothing big, just a quick brush of hand against shoulder or back. Lex was so involved in his work that he didn't seem to notice, but that was fine. The contact grounded him.

He glanced over Lex's shoulder as he put down a plate on his right side, making sure to keep it well away from the computer, which looked expensive.

Lex reached out with one hand and grabbed a piece of toast. "Huh? That's not what I had expected."

Griff sat down with his breakfast and asked, "What did you find?"

Lex munched his toast before putting it down and doing something with his mouse. "Well, unless I've completely fucked up this trace, the email originated from the NIH."

"National Institute of Health?"

"That's the server it came from, but it's not an NIH email address."

"What's that mean?" Griff asked as he scooped egg and bacon onto his toast to make a messy sandwich.

Lex picked up a piece of bacon. "I think it means that someone was having us on. If whoever it was wanted to spoof the location, the NIH server wouldn't be a logical choice. It's not exactly a hard one to hack, but there are easier."

"Having us on or sending a message?" Griff asked around a mouthful of food.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Lex said absently, waving his bacon in Griff's general direction. He took a bite and then swore. "Son of a bitch! Oh, no, no, no. I do that to other people. You do not do that to  _ me. _ "

"What?"

Lex put down his bacon and started clicking on things with his mouse.

"What happened?" Griff repeated his question.

Lex was shaking his head. "Someone sent me an email just moments after I tracked down the server."

"As in someone knew you hacked in?"

Lex was still shaking his head. "No. More like me hacking the server was a trigger for the email."

"What's it say?"

"Hang on. Before I open it, I want to make sure it's not going to do something nasty to my computer."

Griff had time to finish his breakfast before Lex decreed the email safe to open. The hacker clicked on it, and Griff leaned over to read it, putting an arm around Lex's shoulders as he did.

_ Well done. It took you a bit longer to track that that I had expected, but still not bad. _

"I was shot, you idiot," Lex said, his voice harsh. "You try tracing an email while unconscious, you bastard."

Griff gave him a calming squeeze as he continued to read.

_ It's time for us to talk. I can explain some of what's going on. Starbucks near the Chinatown sign. 10 am tomorrow. Just you, Lex, and Griff. No one else. Or I won't be there. _

Griff finished reading and shook his head. "Joshua will never go for that."

Lex's eyes were scanning over the message again. "Oh, Joshua will. It's Jackson we have to convince."

"You mean to go?"

Lex turned, wincing when his injured shoulder brushed against Griff's hand. "I think we have to." He motioned to the message. "This guy is the one who set this all in motion. So far everything has led to this."

"Fill me in on what you know so far." Between panic attacks and hallucinations, they hadn't really had a chance to talk about what they each knew.

Lex did so, starting with the email to Jackson, the hack of Alpha Omega's servers and the backtrace on the money.

Griff listened, asking for clarification occasionally, but mostly letting Lex tell the story.

"So what do you think all this leads to?" he asked when the hacker had finished.

Lex shrugged. "Honestly, not sure." He got up and poured more coffee. "It looks like some sort of genetic research, but what are they aiming for? I mean, we're pretty awesome and all, but how does having a bunch of us running around help them?"

Griff considered for a moment. "Well, I don't know that it helps much, but I have a bit to add."

Lex brightened. "Oh, yeah. You did say you'd seen other mes before. Never had a chance to talk about that."

"Yes. I'm pretty sure about two. Like I said, I was drugged pretty heavily, and I hallucinated a lot, but I'm fairly sure I remember them. Only, one of them wasn't exactly like us."

"What do you mean?" Lex asked, crumbling up his bacon and stirring it into his eggs.

"He was blond and had blue eyes. Facial features were the same, though."

"Dye job and contacts?" Lex asked.

Griff shrugged. "Could be. I wasn't tracking well that day."

"Do you know why they were there?"

Griff thought back, doing his best to separate reality from hallucinations. "It's just an impression, and it could be wrong, but I thought the blond one mentioned something about me being almost right but still flawed. And that I might still be useful." He tried to remember if there had been anything else, but that was all he could come up with. "I think there was more, but I can't remember."

Lex was eating his eggs. "Flawed? Wonder what that meant?"

He hated the thought which came to him, but he decided he should share it. "Well, if they are…breeding us for something, then I was close but not quite right?"

From the way Lex scrunched up his face, he knew the other man wasn't any happier about being part of a breeding project. "Assuming you're right, and I'm guessing you are, what are we being bred for?"

"Got me. I suppose my being crazy is what they meant by being flawed."

Lex leaned over and kissed him on the top of his head. "I don't think you're flawed."

"Nice of you to say, but I think a lot of people would disagree with you."

"Let 'em. When I get out of this sling, I'll fight them."

That startled a laugh out of Griff. From the amusement he saw in Lex's eyes, he suspected that was what he had been aiming for. "Thank you. Oh, one more thing. I don’t know if it means anything or is a coincidence, but Dana, that woman at the hospital, works...or worked...with NIH.”

Lex looked like he was pondering that. “No idea, but I guess I need to research her too. Find out how she fits in this thing.”

Griff couldn’t restrain an involuntary shudder. “I hope she’s not involved. I’d rather not see her again.”

Lex reached out and pulled him into a comforting, one-armed hug. “It’s fine. If she is involved, we’ll let Stiles deal with her. He’s good at that.”

Griff wanted to chuckle at that, but he was too overcome with Dana and memories of her drugging him and getting his blood without his consent. Lex didn’t say anything, and they just sat there for several minutes until Griff was able to ask, “So, planning to let Joshua in on what you've found?"

Lex squeezed him and answered, "Don't have much choice. There's agents outside who'd never let us leave without Jackson telling them it's okay."

"Not that I know where we are."

"Oh, I do," Lex said. "I know where all the safe houses are. But I've had enough of arguing with guys with guns." He opened up a video messaging app on his laptop. It looked vaguely like Skype but was probably a thousand times more secure. A few moments later, Joshua's face appeared.

"Lex and Griff. Good to see you looking better. I assume you managed some rest?"

Griff still wasn't happy about the lack of counseling Lex had received after the shooting, but he knew this wasn't the time to mention it.

Lex nodded. "Yeah. And I've traced the email."

Joshua raised an eyebrow at that. "Shall I get Mr. Haisley on this call?"

Griff wasn't sure who Mr. Haisley was? Jackson? But wasn't that a last name?

"Yes. Jackson needs to hear this too."

Apparently not. Lex gave his leg a quick squeeze, which Griff took to mean he'd used the name to clue him on the who's who of Agency employees.

"Give me a minute." His video feed blanked out.

Griff stole the last of Lex's toast while they waited. The hacker gave him a half-hearted swat, but it was delivered with a smile.

A few minutes later, two video feeds opened: Joshua and Jackson.

Jackson gave them both a smile. "You both look better."

Griff gave an internal eye roll. Apparently they were going to get that a lot.

"Yeah, Jackson. Thanks for the safe house. So Joshua told you I traced the email?"

"He did. What did you find?"

Lex explained about the server and the email in a few short sentences. He forwarded the email to both men, and they read it in silence.

As they finished, Joshua said, "How should we set this up?" at the same time Jackson said, "Absolutely not!"

Lex gave Griff an  _ I told you so _ look. The older man nodded back.

Griff started to say something, but Lex squeezed his leg again. Griff looked at him questioningly. Lex motioned with his chin at the screen where Joshua was speaking. "I think we need to do this, Jackson."

"It's too dangerous," Jackson said.

Griff got it. Let the two of them hash it out. Lex seemed to like his boss, so it would probably work out okay.

"You're right, but we need some leads. Lex, we sent Terri and Stiles to check out one of those companies you traced down."

"How'd that work out?" Lex asked, his tone amused.

"About as well as you're probably thinking. We sent them in as IRS agents, and they gave them the run around without revealing anything useful."

"They gave  _ Stiles _ the run around? And he let them?"

" _ Let _ isn't the right word. According to Terri, he pulled out every one of his tricks, and none of them worked."

Lex frowned. "I've seen Stiles at work. That's hard to believe."

Joshua's eyes flicked to another part of the screen, presumably to where Jackson's video feed was located. "So I don't see that we have the luxury of avoiding this meeting."

"It's almost certainly a trap," Jackson pointed out. Griff noted that wasn't a flat refusal. Lex gave him another squeeze.

"Almost certainly," Joshua agreed. "However, I think we can station agents close enough to move in if needed. I think our friend knows that. It's a busy intersection, and I think we can position several agents nearby without anyone knowing which are ours and which are just random pedestrians."

Jackson seemed to be considering it. Finally, he nodded. "I don't like it, but you've made your point. Lex, you and Griff get some more rest. I would feel better if you weren't injured, Lex, but it doesn't seem as if we have the luxury of waiting."

"I think you're right, sir," Lex said.

"We'll send a car in the morning to take you to a Metro station," Joshua said. "We can have agents follow you on the train, and it will be easy to monitor you but difficult for anyone to make our people."

"Sounds good," Lex said. He turned to Griff. "Anything you want to add?"

"I want to be armed," Griff said, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Jackson raised and eyebrow at that but nodded and said, "I'm sure we can arrange that."

Griff was surprised he conceded so readily. "Thank you, sir."

Jackson chuckled. "No need to call me 'sir'. Everyone else calls me Jackson."

Griff smiled. "Then thank you, Jackson."

"Think you can roll out of bed in time for a 7 am departure, Lex?" Joshua asked.

Lex's eyes widened. "We're going to Chinatown in D.C., not San Francisco, Joshua! It doesn’t take that long to get there."

"It does when I want to give you a proper briefing beforehand." Joshua's expression softened. "I'd rather you didn't get injured again before you've even recovered from this one."

Lex smiled back at him. "All right, sir. But you're bringing the tea. Top quality black tea too, mind you."

"Deal, son."

They all signed off, and Lex sagged against Griff.

"Tired?" Griff asked.

"Sort of. And I think I forgot to take pain killers when we got up. My shoulder is killing me."

Griff put an arm around him. "I think we can fix that easily enough." He looked at the dishes.

"Leave 'em," Lex said. "Least they can do for us. Get me some pills and let's see if we can get Netflix on that TV I saw in the bedroom."

"Deal," Griff said, supporting the younger man as he got to his feet. They walked upstairs together.

Griff thought he could get used to this.


	12. Chapter 12

_ Blood. Gunshot. Pain. Death _

Lex startled awake again. He was really getting tired of this.

Warm arms encircled him, and he leaned gratefully into them. Griff had been great. Every time he woke up from the dream of killing the assassin, the ex-FBI agent had been there, holding him, murmuring over and over how he'd done the right thing. Lex thought he was starting to believe it, but it didn't stop the dreams.

"You doing okay, now?" Griff asked.

Lex sighed and snuggled more firmly into Griff's arms. "I guess so. What was that? Three or four times now?"

"I lose track," came the soft words whispered into his hair. "Doesn’t matter. As many times as it takes. I'm here."

"Yeah, but what time is it? Is there any point trying to go back to sleep now?"

Griff shifted, presumably to look at the clock on the bedside table. Lex could have looked himself, but he was too lazy to open his eyes.

"Probably not. It's 5:30. Joshua said he'd be here at 7. Might as well get up, shower and eat."

Lex groaned. The idea of being up at 5:30 was anathema to him. He usually rolled out of bed at 7, took a lightning fast shower and grabbed breakfast at the Agency when he got in at 8, his official start time. Joshua had never ridden him for eating breakfast on work time because he knew Lex would stay as late as needed to finish whatever he was working on.

"So I take it you're not a morning person?" Griff asked.

"Not even. I tried to get Joshua to let me work from noon to 8, but he couldn't get anyone above him to go for it." And Lex knew Joshua had given it his best effort, but the idiots in HR had insisted everyone in the Art Department needed to report in by 8 o'clock. Hence, why Joshua never got on him for eating breakfast at work or blinked when Lex showed up late because of traffic and cutting his departure from home too tightly.

He sighed again and opened his eyes. He was feeling a bit sticky and in need of a shower. "All right. I can get up." He sat up, and Griff adjusted to still be touching. Lex stretched, yawned and finally levered himself out of bed. Padding for the bathroom, he thought about asking Griff to join him in the shower. But maybe that was too soon? He knew Griff had indicated he wanted to stay together, but Lex wasn't used to people wanting to stay for good reasons, so he decided it was better to move slower and give Griff his space.

He undressed and climbed into the shower. And then swore. He'd completely forgotten about his shoulder and not getting his bandages wet. Griff's voice came from behind him. "I've got your trash bag." He chuckled. "Wow, that did not sound right."

Lex laughed and turned to see a very naked Griff behind him. His eyes widened. "Oh," was all he managed to say.

Griff frowned and took a step back. "Is this not okay? I mean, I can still help you with your shoulder and then—"

Lex shook his head and reached out to pull Griff back. "No. No. It's fine. It's more than fine." He lowered his gaze, which of course fell to Griff's dick. No that wasn't helping his awkwardness. He shifted to look at the floor. "I thought about asking you to join me, but I wasn't sure the invitation would be welcomed."

Gentle fingers cupped his chin and raised his head. Griff gave him a short but intense kiss before pulling back and saying, "You really don't get it do you?"

Lex blinked. That kiss had been something else. He finally found his words. "Get what?"

"That basically any and everything from you is welcomed. You saved my life and got me out of that hell. You're everything to me."

Lex wasn't sure what to say, so he let his actions speak for him. He surged forward, pulling Griff in for a tight hug and a kiss where he tried to communicate everything he felt.

Griff kissed him back, and, to his delight, this time, Lex felt the other man stir against him. He broke the kiss and smiled at Griff. "Seems like the drugs are leaving your system."

Griff smiled back. "Seems like."

"Tie the bag on and let's shower. I'm sure you've got some very dirty spots that need extra attention."

Griff laughed, tied on the bag, and they got in.

Lex had many reasons to be thankful the hot water heater tank was quite large.

***

They made it out of the shower with just enough time to grab a quick breakfast before Joshua showed up with the car.

As soon as they got into the car, Joshua handed over a holstered pistol to Griff. Lex knew he probably should know what kind of gun it was, but that wasn't his area. Griff, however, removed it from the holster, looked it over, checked the magazine and did whatever else gun people did to weapons they've never seen before. Lex paid just enough attention to note that Griff seemed to know what he was doing.

More of the hacker's attention was on his phone, where he was setting up a custom app. He'd jailbroken his iPhone so he could run it and several others he'd coded over the last couple of years.

Joshua leaned over the seat. "Is that one of yours?"

Lex nodded, and Griff scooted closer to look. "What does it do?" Griff asked.

Lex smiled. "It's a recording app, which is nothing special. What makes it different is that it's voice activated and runs in the background." He demonstrated by swiping all the running apps away. "You can't see it, but it's still running."

"You think they will take your phone away then?" Joshua said.

"Well, he said to come alone, so I want to be prepared. We’re meeting in a public place, so they can't really take the phone away, but they might ask me to prove I'm not running a recording app. I would."

"They could give it to someone on the other side of the store," Griff noted.

"True. And if they do, so be it. But if they don't, this will work. It also uses the phone radio to transmit the recording."

"Like to our agents positioned around the Starbucks," Joshua added.

"Only outside, right?" Griff asked. "Not actually inside."

"No." Joshua shook his head. "Jackson gave us a couple of guys for the inside too. They're good. No one will notice them."

"No," Griff said, his voice flat.

"What's the problem?" Joshua asked. "They're good. Neither Jackson nor I want to send you two in without backup."

Griff tapped his side, where the new gun rested. "If things go bad, I'll get Lex and myself out of there. It's what I do."

Lex heard the determination in his voice and was reminded that Griff was FBI. However, he saw Joshua's point too. "What about just Stiles?" he suggested.

Griff shot him a look, but Lex met his gaze without flinching. "I trust Stiles implicitly. If he's there no one will even notice him. I guarantee it."

Griff opened his mouth as if to protest, but then he nodded and said, "All right. Stiles only. But I don't want to be able to make him."

Lex opened the photos app on his phone, found a picture of Stiles and handed his phone over to Griff. "That's what he looks like. If you make him, let me know."

Griff took the phone, studied the picture carefully and handed it back. "Okay."

Joshua was already making the call to change around the assignments. After a moment, he hung up and said, "We already had Stiles on the inside, so that doesn't change. We're moving the second agent outside."

"Work for you? Lex asked Griff.

"Sure," he said. Lex could tell he wasn't quite happy about it but he wasn't going to fight it either.

"So we listen for trouble from your broadcast and descend if needed?" Joshua asked.

"Pretty much," Lex said. He actually had a feeling this wasn't going to go down badly. Something told him this source, while certainly having his own agenda, was genuinely interested in feeding them information. He didn’t think this was a trap, contrary to what Jackson thought. "I'm also recording so we can listen later at our leisure."

"Good plan," Griff said. "It's easy to miss subtleties when you're focusing on the conversation and anticipating possible trouble."

They discussed a few other contingencies until they arrived at the Vienna Metro Station. This was it. Time to see if they could get some answers.


	13. Chapter 13

Griff noted one agent following them on the Metro, but he wasn't worried about that. He doubted anyone would pay attention until they got to Starbucks. He was amused that Lex spent almost the entire trip nose deep in his phone. While Griff had owned a smartphone, he'd considered it a necessary evil. He supposed that a hacker would be more tech-dependent, however.

The agent followed them off the train at the Chinatown Station, but he broke off half a block away from the coffee shop. Griff nodded to himself in satisfaction. Now to see if Lex was right about the ability of this Stiles person.

They entered the Starbucks, and Griff let his eyes scan the room. Once. Twice. He pulled up his mental image of Stiles from the picture Lex had showed him and scanned one more time. Nothing. So either the agent wasn't here, or he was as good as Lex had said.

As they got in line to order, Lex said, so quietly that only Griff could hear, "He's here. Second table along the back. In the black leather jacket reading on the iPad."

Griff let his eyes scan across the display of food and then turned around as if he'd heard a sudden sound. He saw the man Lex had indicated. Once pointed out, he could see the man from the picture.

"How'd you know?" he asked, letting his gaze return to the food. Suddenly he was hungry, and he picked up a package containing a hard-boiled egg, crackers, nuts and a few other things. He was enjoying being hungry again.

"Been working with him for a while now," Lex said. "I know how he holds himself. Besides, pattern recognition is something I'm very good at, and it's kind of the same thing."

Griff could see that. He suspected he and Lex would make a good team.

They ordered and found a table for four. They lucked out and it was in the back, a little ways away from another table. With the background noise, they should be private enough if they didn't yell.

Griff sipped his coffee. Starbucks wasn't his favorite, but he also hadn't had much coffee in the last few months, and it tasted better than he remembered. Lex was still apparently head down in his phone, but Griff noticed his eyes darting around every few seconds.

He was still surprised that Lex saw them first. Griff had been scanning the room, and his gaze was moving from the bathrooms to the counter when he heard a sudden intake of breath from Lex. His eyes immediately snapped to just in front of Lex, and he had to restrain his reaction.

Standing in front of their table, smirking slightly, was another man who could be their brother or maybe their father, considering he looked to be in his early sixties. Only instead of brown hair and amber eyes, he was a blue-eyed blond. Facial features were the same, but Griff thought they looked odd with the different hair and eye color. He was dressed simply in dark slacks that looked casual but probably cost several hundred dollars. He wore a burgundy button-up shirt, and a gold chain hugged his neck.

Griff noticed a second man behind the first. He was also a "twin" and was maybe a few years older than Griff. He was dressed in jeans and a polo shirt, and he had what appeared to be a perpetual sad expression. His clothes didn't cost nearly as much as the blond's.

He recognized them. They were the same ones who had visited him several months ago, just after he'd been incarcerated at Alpha Omega. Lex put a hand on his thigh and squeezed. Griff gave the tiniest of nods, assuming he was asking if they were the same men.

"Well, it's about time we met," the blond man said. "May I sit?"

Lex put his phone back in his shirt pocket and said, "Of course. You're the one who invited us."

He did so. The other man was still standing, and the blond motioned him to the counter. "Dean, why don't you order for us?"

Griff noted that although it sounded like a request, it was definitely an order, and Dean complied immediately.

Lex raised an eyebrow, and his gaze followed Dean.

The blond smiled. "Yes, he's well trained."

Griff was taking an instant dislike to this man, but he didn't let it show. He'd interviewed many a suspect he didn't like. "You know our names. What should we call you?" He didn’t for a moment expect the man would give over his real name, but he hoped he'd give them something.

"You may call me Karl."

As he said the name, Griff detected just a hint of a German accent.

"Karl, then," Lex said. "Well, you called this meeting."

Karl put out his hand. Griff noted it was recently manicured. "I'd like your phone, please. And yours, Mr. Krenshaw, if you have one."

"I don't," Griff said at the same time Lex took out his phone and handed it over.

"The passcode, please," Karl asked Lex.

"170138," Lex said easily. Griff knew he would change it as soon as they left the building.

Karl input the code and held the phone, as if he wasn't quite sure what to do next.

Dean returned with a small coffee in one hand and a Venti espresso something in his other. Unsurprisingly, he handed the larger drink to Karl before sitting down.

Karl took a sip, frowned and handed it back to Dean, who got up, went to the counter with the sugar and other seasonings and added more sugar. Then he brought it back. Karl tried it again and nodded. Dean sat back down. Karl handed him the phone before he had a chance to even take a small sip of his own drink.

Dean took a look at it, and, as Lex had predicted, swiped to close all the running apps. Then he handed back the phone. Lex took it and slid it back in his shirt pocket. The hacker's expression looked slightly worried, as if he hadn't expected that to happen. Griff was pleased that he didn't overdo it.

Lex gave him a polite, inquiring glance, but Karl spoke first to Griff.

"Do you remember meeting me before, Mr. Krenshaw?"

"Griff is fine, and yes, I do."

Karl nodded. "Excellent. Well, I am certain you have questions. Please, ask."

Lex didn't hesitate. "Why are there so many of us who look alike?"

"Right to the point, Lex, I see." Karl frowned slightly.

Lex squeezed Griff's thigh again, and the former FBI agent got it. Karl didn't know Lex's last name. Then again, neither did Griff.

"I don't see any reason to waste time," Lex said. He sat back and waited.

Karl took a sip of his coffee and nodded. "I agree. If you will indulge me in a bit of history?"

Griff and Lex both nodded.

"You have traced the sale of the artwork by now, yes?"

"Of course," Lex said.

"And you no doubt noticed that some of the companies being financed by the sale of the artwork are German?"

"And Argentinian," Lex said, his tone heavy with _how about getting on with it?_

"You may not have been able to track as far back as the record goes because this project has been going on longer than computers have been in existence. It started during World War II."

Griff restrained himself from rolling his eyes. Really? Was Karl really going to talk about Nazi genetic experimentation?

"The Germans were interested in extending human life, along with other things."

Apparently so.

"And they succeeded, after a fashion. They discovered how to transfer consciousness from one body to another."

Griff was having a hard time believing this, but he kept listening.

"How?" Lex asked.

Karl waved a hand. "The process is not important now. Know that it can be done, but the early experiments ran into problems. While it is possible to transfer consciousness into any body, the new host eventually rejected the transfer and both the transferred consciousness and the body died. This was not a desirable outcome."

"I take it a solution was developed?" Lex asked, managing to keep a tone of polite interest.

"Of sorts." He sipped more coffee. "We accidentally discovered a host that worked better than the others."

_We?_ What the fuck?

"The host in question had what turned out to be mild psychic abilities. The transfer worked more smoothly in him than in other hosts."

Griff had a sinking feeling he knew where this was going.

"However, the original one still had flaws. We began breeding from his line and have been refining him ever since." Karl looked directly at Griff and smiled. "You are of his line."

"Not possible," Griff said, the words coming from him before he could stop them.

"Quite possible," Karl said, evidently enjoying Griff's reaction. "However, the psychic line is unstable and prone to insanity." He turned his attention to Lex. "Which is where your line comes in. You see, the original psychic host had a twin brother. When together, the psychic host…we call them vessels, by the way…was able to function better. We have spent the last 70 or so years refining the breeding. We have come close, but perfection eludes us."

"You say 'we.' Does that mean you are one of the original scientists?" Lex asked. Griff heard the hint of disgust in the way he said "scientist." He was feeling sick at this entire conversation. But he was feeling something else. He couldn’t stop thinking about that mention of “slightly psychic.” Was he sensing Karl’s emotions? It was vague enough that he wasn’t certain, but he kept part of his attention on it.

"But of course."

"Why does your vessel have different hair and eye color?"

Karl laughed, but there was little humor in it. "You have to ask? This started as a German project, remember."

"But the blue-eyed blonds don’t do as well, do they?" Griff asked, enjoying being able to make the observation.

"No, they don't," Karl said, although he didn't sound too upset by it. "We're still refining it, but the amber-eyed vessels do much better. We've never tried breeding a different buffer."

"Buffer?" Lex asked.

"That's what we call you. Something about being in proximity to you keeps a vessel stable." He raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you've noticed that you can't get very far from Mr. Krenshaw without there being consequences."

"We’ve noticed," Lex said. "Does that ever change? Will he be able to get farther from me in the future?"

"Tired of him already?" Karl asked with a sardonic smile. "But to answer your question, yes, to some degree. He will be able to stand increasing distance over time, and at some point, it should be possible to separate you for short periods of time. Dean and I have been apart for as much as two days with few ill effects."

"So you suffer them, even though you aren't the consciousness of the vessel?" Griff asked. He wanted to ask what happened to the vessel in the transfer, but he had a feeling he knew. Once again, he was grateful to Lex for getting him out of there. He was fairly certain they had been preparing him for transfer. Perhaps even for Karl.

"Sadly, yes. We have been unsuccessful in breeding that tendency out of the vessels. We thought perhaps we had succeeded with you, Griff, but apparently not."

There were so many things Griff wanted to ask, but he knew he wouldn't like the answers. However, he was more certain that he was sensing something from Karl. He was picking up disappointment along with the man’s words.

"So why have you clued us in on this, Karl?" Lex asked.

Griff didn't miss the slight wince from Karl when Lex used the name. He played back the conversation so far and noticed something interesting. When he spoke to Lex, he used Griff's last name. When he spoke to Griff, he used his first name. And Dean had not been introduced with a last name. Anger flowed through him when he realized what it meant. Buffers were considered to be servants, at best, and possibly more like slaves. Dean's quiet, sad, subservient attitude made more sense.

As he attempted to control his anger, he had to wonder. Was his sense of Karl two-way? Could the other man sense his emotions as well? If so, he needed to be careful.

He forced his attention back to the conversation, where Karl was answering, "Because, it may be difficult for you to believe this, but I want the experimentation to end."

"I do find that difficult to believe," Griff said. "Sounds like you have a fairly sweet deal with, granted, a few drawbacks, but you seem to be managing them."

Karl sighed, took another sip of his coffee and handed it to Dean, who got up to add more cream to it. Karl didn't answer until he had it back and had tried it again. He nodded, and Dean sat back down again. Griff noticed he had barely touched his own coffee. Finally, the blond man said, "It's reasonable that you would think that. However, when you've lived as long as I have, you begin to understand that death has its place. It is a natural ending to existence. I am tired of existing and would like to find peace."

"So end it," Lex said. "Something tells me you have transferred a number of times. Just stop."

Karl nodded. "I could do that, yes. However, nearly 50 years ago, we all formed a pact that we would see this through. It's unlikely they would let me stop."

"Step into traffic and be done with it," Griff said, not finding a bit of pity within himself for Karl. Although he did sense truth behind his words. Perhaps not the entire truth, but yes, Karl really did want something to end.

"That wouldn't work," Karl said.

"Why not?" Griff had to restrain himself from barking out the question.

"Because we…for lack of a better term…back ourselves up on a regular basis. They would just transfer the backup, and I'd lose no more than a few days of memories."

The sick feeling in Griff's stomach worsened. Which person like him was "on tap" for that backup? He had a vision of a warehouse with identical twins of himself stacked up like cord wood, waiting to be used. His vision started to gray and tunnel down. He felt like he'd start to hallucinate at any moment. He fought to remain alert and to not let Karl sense his unease.

From the studied glitter in the older man’s eyes, he wasn’t sure how successful he’d been.

"So what do you want from us?" Lex asked. Griff was grateful he was still keeping the discussion on track, and he mentally shook himself. He could handle this conversation.

"I thought that was obvious," Karl said. "I want you to put a stop to it. If the project is shut down, there won't be any way to continue the transfers."

Lex tilted his head. "I'm not sure how you expect us to do that? Knowledge isn't something that you can just put back into a bottle. Just because we shut you down won't mean no one else won't be able to pick it up later."

Karl shrugged and looked genuinely confused. "I'm not quite sure of your point. Once I'm gone, I don't really care what happens after that."

Griff had to restrain himself from launching himself across the table at Karl. The indifference of the man. Ruining his life and who knew how many others with his experiments. He clearly had no moral compunctions about his actions. He just wanted it to be over for himself.

Lex's hand tightened on his thigh, and Griff managed to calm himself. They needed to hear this through if they were going to do anything to stop this abomination. Although he was still dealing with the fact that he was going to need to stay close to Lex pretty much forever. While he didn’t mind that for himself, he was certain Lex wouldn't want to be tied to a crazy person forever.

"All right," Lex said. Griff was impressed at how calm he was being through this. "If you can give us information on where and how this process works, plus who are the principle players, we can probably arrange something."

"I have a file I can forward to you which should have everything you need. There will also be a way to contact me, if it should be vitally necessary, but it would be best if you didn't need to use it."

Lex nodded. "That's fine. Get me the file, and we'll take it from there."

Karl stood up, Dean a second behind him. "Very well. I'll expect results soon." He turned to go, handing his cup to Dean to dispose of. Before he had finished his turn, however, he stopped and addressed Griff. "And in case you were wondering, yes, Mr. Krenshaw. You were intended to be the next vessel used, imperfections and all." His tone made it clear he had no doubts of what Griff had been thinking.

Griff felt a low growl building in his throat, but again, Lex gripped him tightly and he managed to restrain himself until Karl had left the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I sent a draft to the artist for starting work on the art, I wasn't quite finished with the story, and I am a terrible outliner. I had maybe three or four "chapter notes." The final one was just "Must kill Karl." Both my beta reader and my artist found that amusing. And agreed with the note. However, I make no promises that I followed my crappy outline.


	14. Chapter 14

Lex had hated everything about the conversation, but, at the moment, he was more concerned about Griff, who was shaking. The older man closed his eyes, lowered his head and drew his arms close to his body. Lex put his good arm around his shoulders and drew him close.

He knew Joshua and Stiles had heard the entire conversation. Karl’s attempt to stop the recording wouldn’t have worked. Without being obvious about it, he glanced in Stiles' direction. He had what looked like ear buds, but Lex knew they were really a radio which he had used to listen in. Stiles gave a very subtle nod, and his eyes darted to the door. Lex knew that meant they were still tailing Karl and he wasn't far enough away yet for any of their agents to make contact.

He turned his attention back to Griff. "It’s okay," he said, his voice low. "They're gone. As soon as they are far enough away, we can get out of here and back to the safe house."

Griff gave a tiny nod, which Lex took to mean he'd heard and understood. No one seemed to be paying attention to them, so he just sat there and held Griff. Slowly, the shaking decreased.

About ten minutes after Karl had left, Stiles came over. "We lost him," he said as he sat down in the chair Dean had vacated.

"How?" Lex asked. "Our guys are good."

"Apparently his driver is better." Unspoken was the opinion that if Stiles been following, he wouldn’t have lost them. Lex suppressed his grin. To be fair, Stiles was probably right.

"Plate number?" If Lex had that, he might be able to track something down.

"Of course. I'll remind Joshua to have it sent to you."

"Good. I'll see what I can find."

"What's wrong with him?" Stiles asked, motioning to Griff, who was still sitting with his head down and eyes closed. He had relaxed his arms, which Lex took as a good sign.

Lex frowned at Stiles. "What do you think? He just learned that some crazy not-really-ex Nazis bred him to be a 'vessel' for one of the afore-mentioned creepy guys. Oh, yeah, and all of his mental health issues were also basically bred into him too. How did you expect him to take it?"

Stiles had the good sense to look ashamed at that. "So you believe that whole crazy story?"

"I'm not sure what to think," he admitted, not sure that Stiles had redeemed himself much with that comment. "It does seem to explain some things. But, as much as I love sci-fi, I never expected to be living it. Ignoring the terribly clichéd Nazi thing, it does go against what I know of science. On the other hand—" He glanced over to Griff, who seemed to be listening. "—there's something seriously weird about there being so many of us and the things that have been happening."

"He believes it," Griff said, raising his head. His amber eyes were sunken but alert.

"How do you know that?" Stiles asked. Lex could tell he was making an effort to be gentle in asking.

Griff shrugged. "That whole mildly psychic thing? Well, I think I was reading something off of Karl." He shook his head. "It was subtle, but I thought I was feeling his emotions. When he talked about wanting to end everything, I  _ knew _ he was telling the truth. Not the entire truth, maybe, but he meant that part. And he believes he's been alive all this time. I got that pretty clearly."

"If you could read him, could he read you?" Lex asked.

Griff nodded. "Yeah. I think so. I think he wanted me to read some of what I sensed." He frowned. "Okay, this is weird, so tell me what you make of it. I think he doesn't really know much about how to use his psychic ability. I mean, I think he got surface stuff, but now that I know about it, I think I could learn to use it better than he can. But it's like he doesn't care about that. I also don't get the sense that he could have done the thing with the email." He shook his head. "I know this sounds really far-fetched, but my sense of him is that he's old in his attitudes. I mean, he knew enough to ask for your phone, but he didn’t know what to do with it beyond that."

Lex was thinking furiously. He thought Griff was making a good point. "That all hangs together. It can't be easy to adapt to as much change as he's experienced, assuming he's telling the truth."

"So who did the email thing?" Stiles asked.

Griff's head shot up, and he said, "Dean!" at the same time Lex did.

Suddenly Lex felt vaguely ill. Had he been bred to be a tech geek? He'd always thought the skills came naturally to him, and he enjoyed using them. Was this just what they…whoever  _ they _ were exactly; they still didn't know that… had intended him to be good at. Dean was like him in other ways? How close were they, actually?

Now it was time for Griff to give Lex a reassuring hug.

Stiles' eyes moved between them. "Are you two  _ together _ together?"

Well,  _ that _ was certainly a distraction from feeling sorry for himself. "Yeah. You got anything to say about it?" He'd get his ass kicked, but he'd totally fight Stiles if he made any stupid cracks about him and Griff. Okay, maybe he  _ had _ fallen hard for the guy.

He thought he felt a quiet chuckle from Griff.

Stiles shrugged. "No. Terri'll be happy to hear it, though. She's been wanting you to find someone nice after Livia."

Both Griff and Lex started laughing at Stiles' characterization of Griff as "nice."

"Stiles, dude. Thanks and all," Griff said. "But might I remind you that I am certifiably crazy?"

"Not as crazy as Livia. Trust me. I met her." He gave a little shudder. "I wouldn't let that chick anywhere near certain parts of my anatomy."

"Thanks, Stiles," Lex said, still laughing. "Considering that I did let her near them, it's nice to know how smart you think I am."

Stiles winked at him, and Lex realized he'd led the conversation in this direction to lighten the mood. The hacker gave him a grateful nod.

"So what do we do about Dean?" Griff asked. "We both got the feeling he's not a willing participant in Karl's plans."

"We get him away, if we can," Stiles said, making it sound like the only possible option. Since Lex agreed with him, he was glad the operative was suggesting it.

"That's my intent," Lex said. "I'm sure Jackson would convince Gage to set him up in some way." And if he didn't, well, Lex knew the coded numbers of all the secret accounts.

"Do we get him away from Karl before we take down the operation?" Griff asked.

"If we can," Stiles said. "But not if it jeopardizes the main mission."

Lex hated to say it, but, "Yes. I don’t like it, but I agree."

"I don't like it either, but it make sense," Griff said.

"So I do what I can with the plate number, and we wait for Karl to send us what he promised us?" Lex asked.

Both Griff and Stiles nodded. Stiles tapped his earpiece and nodded. "Joshua's just outside. Time to blow this joint."

***

On their way out the door, Lex realized the adrenaline that had carried him through the meeting was fading. His shoulder started to hurt, and he was glad they were heading back to the safe house.

He could see Joshua's car, and he quickened his steps for a few feet until he realized Griff had stopped. Stiles was still continuing for the car, but Lex slowed, turning to look at what had caught Griff's attention.

A young mother was exiting a nearby store, pushing her toddler in a stroller. The young child—Lex thought it was a girl—was holding a plush bunny, so new it still had the tags. Lex glanced between Griff and the stroller and realized the older man was staring, not at the child, but at the bunny.

"You want a bunny, Griff?" Lex asked, thinking it was odd, but if it made him happy, why not? They'd both had a shock, and a stuffed bunny was a pretty simple thing.

The older man nodded, his expression embarrassed. Lex smiled, slid his good arm around Griff's waist and yelled to Stiles. "Tell Joshua we're going to be  a minute."

Stiles turned, expression quizzical, and Lex pointed with his sling at the store. Stiles shrugged and quickened his step to fall in beside them. Lex felt Griff shaking his head, but he ignored the gesture and moved purposefully toward the store.

Once inside, he saw the display with soft, light brown, flop-eared bunnies. He let go of Griff to pick one up. He showed it to Griff with a questioning, raised eyebrow. Griff nodded, his expression embarrassed but also with a pleased light in his eyes.

Lex paid for the bunny, handed it to Griff and walked out of the store, as if purchasing bunnies for grown men was something he did every day. Stiles followed them with something suspiciously like a smile lurking in the corner of his eyes, though his face remained impassive.

They got in the car, and Joshua gave the bunny a wry grin but said nothing. Griff settled into his seat, holding the bunny in one arm, but off to the side, as if hiding it with his body. Lex hugged him close with his good arm and gave Joshua a flat stare, as if daring his boss to say something.

Joshua winked and shook his head before asking, "So we're waiting for Karl to send us a file?"

"That's the plan," Lex said.

"I'm also given to understand that my presumption that you are a genetic freak of nature has been proven correct?"

Lex felt Griff stiffen under his arm, but the hacker shook his head and laughed. "Seems so. Wasn't aware that was your theory, though."

Joshua shrugged. "It seemed polite to keep it to myself."

Stiles snorted and Griff relaxed, which Lex counted as a small triumph. "Text me the plate number of Karl's car, and I'll see where it leads."

"Already done."

Lex extricated his arm from around Griff long enough to check his phone. Sure enough, the number was there. Wow. He must be tired to have failed to notice the vibration from his phone.

"Thanks. I'll check it when we get back to the safe house." His shoulder decided to throb at that moment, reminding him that rest might be a better idea. He ignored it, figuring that coffee and another pill would keep him going long enough.

However, the motion of the car started making him sleepy, and he finally gave up and leaned against Griff. He closed his eyes and started to drift.

Right before he slipped off, he thought he heard Joshua's quiet voice asking Griff. "So are you two?"

Griff's voice was shy and pleased. "Apparently."

That was the last thing he heard before falling asleep.

He woke up briefly when they got to the safe house, Griff helped him out of the car, guided him upstairs, gave him a pill and settled him in bed. Just before Lex drifted off again, he felt something warm and soft against his chest. He smiled as he realized Griff was holding both him and the bunny.


	15. Chapter 15

Griff didn’t sleep well. He couldn’t stop thinking about the meeting with Karl and the fact that he had been bred to be some sort of psychic freak, doomed to insanity. Sure, being near Lex helped with that, but it didn’t change what he was. What could they do? Obviously, they needed to stop the project, but what then? Was this his life from now on?

Even amid his disquieting thoughts, there was something inherently soothing about being in contact with Lex. It calmed him and helped him to think. What  could Griff do to aid in their efforts? Lex was the hacker, and could handle that part. Griff had skills too, though. He needed to assume Karl’s erstwhile allies were not as clueless as Karl obviously believed. There was always the chance they would send more assassins. He could be on guard for those. Now that he was armed, he was able to protect Lex. He could hope for opportunities to investigate, interrogate or analyze data. For all his problems, he was skilled in all those areas. Hopefully when Lex awoke, Karl would have sent the information they needed to proceed.

Until then, he was best served by resting, assuming he could calm his thoughts enough to sleep. Which was looking unlikely. He shifted his grip to hold Lex more tightly, the bunny pressed close to the other man’s chest. He was still embarrassed by how much he had wanted the stuffed animal, but something about it had called to him, and he hadn’t been able to resist.

"Stop thinking so loudly," Lex suddenly said.

Griff jumped before he caught himself. "How did you know?"

"It's the way you're breathing."

Oh, so the psychic connection wasn't suddenly going both ways. However, it was definitely going one way. Now that he was aware of it, he could feel Lex's emotions, at least a tiny bit. Right now, though, about all he was feeling was phantom pain in his shoulder. He moved the arm curled around Lex, hoping to find a position which eased him, at least a little bit.

"That's better. How'd you know?" Lex asked.

Griff wasn't sure he wanted to admit it. However, this was Lex, and they needed to be straight with each other. It might provide an advantage somehow. "I can feel your emotions, a tiny bit. If I'm paying attention. Or rather, right now, I can feel the pain in your shoulder. I was trying to ease it a bit."

Lex started to turn over, apparently thought better of it, and settled back. "You can read my emotions? Really?"

"A little bit. And only if I'm concentrating on it."

"But you said earlier that you thought you might be able to hone your ability."

"Maybe." Actually he was quite sure he could. But he wasn't sure he wanted to. It felt too much like admitting he was a freak.

Lex must have sensed how he felt because he made the effort to roll over on his back and reached for Griff, pulling him in so his head was pillowed on his chest, and his good arm held him close. "You don't want to."

"Not really," Griff admitted, nuzzling his head into Lex's chest. "It is like admitting what I am."

"A wonderful guy?"

"As if. I'm anything but that."

"You know I disagree, right?"

Griff sighed. "Yeah, I've gotten that, and I do appreciate it, even if I suck at believing it."

Lex kissed the top of his head. "That's okay. I'll keep on saying it until you believe it a little bit. And if you don't want to work on your psychic thing, that's fine too."

"I just feel like I should. It might help in some way."

He could feel Lex nodding against the top of his head. "It might, yes. But I've managed many investigations without psychic abilities. We'll manage this time too."

Griff felt as if a huge weight had just come off his shoulders. That made sense. He was putting a burden on himself that he didn't need to. He propped himself up on one shoulder and leaned up to kiss Lex. He intended it to be something quick, but Lex kissed back, opening his mouth to invite Griff in. They kissed for a while, enjoying the warm wet slide of tongue and mouth.

Griff moved closer, pressing against Lex's side, careful not to jostle him too much. Lex hummed happily into his mouth, and Griff ran a gentle hand along his chest, snaking a hand up under his t-shirt. He loved the feel of Lex. The taste of him. The smell of him. Even the maleness of him, which he would never have expected. He'd never had the slightest interest in guys before.

He broke the kiss to lick and gently bite at Lex's collar bones. The younger man shivered under him. His hand moved down, stopping to circle a hip bone before moving lower. Where he discovered that Lex did not seem to be enjoying this as much as he was.

"Don't stop," Lex said.

"But you're not—"

"Stupid shoulder," Lex said, his tone breathy. "But it's distracting me from the pain."

Griff smiled. Distraction he could do. "Let me take off your shirt."

Lex sat up and removed his arm from his sling. He hissed at the motion, but tugged at the bottom of his shirt. Griff gently replaced Lex's hands with his own, nudging the other man to lie down again, and lifted the shirt bottom. However, he didn't take it off immediately. Instead, he licked and kissed his way up Lex's chest, bunching up the shirt just ahead of his lips.

"Tease," Lex said, and Griff could hear the smile in it.

He stopped licking long enough to say, "You wanted distraction."

He swirled his tongue around first one and then the other nipple. So different from a woman, but Lex squirmed and moaned out a "yeah…just like that." Griff gave both of them attention for a minute or so before finally removing Lex's shirt.

He sat back a moment to admire. The young man wasn't ripped, but he was slim with angles where Griff was used to seeing curves. He liked it, though.

"You ever…with a guy?" Lex asked. His amber eyes shone in the dim light reflected from the street.

Griff shook his head and nibbled again along Lex's collar bones. He didn't know if the other man liked it, but he did. After a moment, he raised his head. Lex was smiling at him. "You?" he asked.

Lex nodded. "A couple times. In college. I've always liked both."

Griff hummed and went back to working on Lex's chest. He'd always gotten as much enjoyment from pleasuring his partner as he did from being pleasured, and now was no exception. He was fully hard now and shifted position so he could thrust up against Lex's thigh.

Lex wiggled a hand between them and wrapped his fingers around Griff, who moaned and lost the rhythm of his work.

"I got you, Griff," Lex said. "Your turn."

Griff rolled onto his back, expecting a hand job but was surprised when Lex shifted position and a warm, wet mouth enclosed him. He bucked up once before catching himself. "You'll hurt yourself."

Lex swirled his tongue around Griff a few times before pulling off. "I'm fine."

Griff opened his eyes and looked down. Lex was leaning against Griff's leg with his good shoulder, using it for support while he wrapped one hand around Griff's dick. The angle seemed awkward, but Lex swallowed him down again, and Griff forgot to worry about angles or anything but how good it felt. He hadn't had a blow job in so long, and he'd almost forgotten how good it felt.

It didn't take long before he felt his balls draw up against his body. "Lex. I'm going to—"

The younger man didn't stop what he was doing. Instead, he intensified his efforts, sucking harder. Griff came with a muffled shout. Lex swallowed and gently licked him through the aftershocks.

As soon as the last spasms stopped. Lex pulled off and settled with his head on Griff. He moved his fingers gently across Griff's chest. "So you've really never been with a guy?"

Griff managed to get his brain working enough to process words. "No. Never had any interest."

"But you're okay with us?"

He nodded. "Yeah. This is great." He thought for a moment. "But I still don’t think I'm really bi. I just ran through a few guys who I know women think are hot, and they don't do anything for me." He settled himself more comfortably in the bed. "I think it's just you."

Lex nuzzled him, and Griff could tell he was pleased.

"Tell me a little bit about yourself," Griff said. "I mean. I know almost nothing about you except what you do for the CIA. I don't even know your last name."

"No one does," Lex said, his tone matter of fact.

"No one?" Griff didn’t have any reason to doubt Lex, but it did sound weird.

Lex started to shrug but winced and stopped. "I know. It's just the way I like it."

Griff was curious, but he could tell from Lex's tone that he didn't want to discuss it further. "Okay, favorite music?" That seemed safer.

Lex chuckled. "I'm pretty eclectic, but I really like show tunes.  _ Fiddler on the Roof, Cats, Hamilton. _ That sort of thing. You?"

"I'm pretty much a classic rock guy. Pink Floyd, Journey, Queen, Rolling Stones."

"I can get behind those," Lex said.

Griff shifted position, and nudged something. He reached down and came back with the bunny, which had rolled off to the side while they'd been having sex.

"What was with the bunny?" Lex asked. "I'm not judging. Just asking."

Griff shrugged and held the bunny with the arm that wasn't around Lex. "I don't know. It called to me." He remembered the bunny Dana's daughter had given him and suppressed the shudder at the memory. His bunny was similar to hers, but he didn’t think that was it.

"It's okay, man," Lex said. "If you like it, that's cool. You've been through so much, a bunny isn't much to ask for."

Griff was glad he didn’t seem weirded out by a grown man with a stuffed rabbit. Unfortunately, his brain started working on the case. "What do we do next, Lex?"

"I don’t know about you, but I was thinking sleep sounded pretty good."

"That's not what I meant. About this conspiracy thing."

Lex nosed him in the side. "Oh, that. I'll have you know I was pretty happy just lying here drifting off."

"I know, but I guess I can’t let it go that easily."

"We check my email in the morning and see what Karl's sent us. I track down that plate number, although I'm not expecting to find much there. Something will pop up, and we'll track it down. I'm all for worrying about it in the morning."

Griff closed his eyes and settled Lex's head more comfortably on him. It felt good. Maybe he could sleep and worry about it in the morning.


	16. Chapter 16

This time they both had nightmares. Lex's were still about shooting the assassin. Griff's were some sort of formless body horror thing. Lex was sure it came from the whole he-thought-now-that-he-was-a-genetic-freak thing. He resolved to continue to reassure Griff that he was anything but a freak.

However, they both decided to give up trying to sleep just before dawn. Lex hoped he'd be able to manage an un-drugged night's sleep eventually.

Griff cooked again while Lex traced the plate number. He could get used to Griff fixing him breakfast. His usual morning meal was a muffin and tea from the CIA cafeteria, but pancakes were good. Really good.

"You're spoiling me," he said when Griff placed the plate, piled high with--were those chocolate chip pancakes?—in front of him.

"You say that like it's a bad thing?" Griff kissed the back of his neck, and Lex shivered. It felt good enough that he briefly considered abandoning their work and heading back to bed.

"Anything so far?" Griff asked. From the faint hint of amusement in is tone, Lex suspected he knew what the hacker had been thinking.

Instead of answering, Lex leaned over, firmly grasped the back of Griff's head and brought him in for a bruising, lengthy kiss. Griff didn't resist at all and seemed to enjoy it as much as Lex.

Breaking the kiss, Lex rolled a pancake into a sloppy cylinder—it was awkward with only one hand—and took a bite. It was as good as it looked, chocolate perfectly melted. Finally, he said, "Not really. I hadn't expected it to tell me much, but I had to check."

"What did you find then?"

Lex finished his pancake before responding. Griff was eating his neatly, cutting bite-sized pieces with a knife. Seriously? Who ate pancakes with a knife and fork?

"It was a rental. Name on the rental agreement is John Smith."

Griff chuckled. "Obviously a fake."

"Obviously," Lex agreed. "The address is also a fake. There is no 1213 E. 53rd Street."

Griff nodded. "Nope. 53 rd Street SE maybe, but it's close enough that someone might have written it off as an honest mistake."

"Exactly. Credit card number is also fake, but I think it was briefly tied to a real account. Sort of a temporary thing that expires after a day or two."

"Just long enough to be valid when they run it at the rental place. Too bad you didn't run the trace yesterday then."

Lex shrugged. "I doubt that would have mattered. This whole thing is set up to lead nowhere." He thought for a moment. "If you're right, and Dean is doing it all, the guy's good."

"You should offer him a job when this is all done," Griff said around a mouthful of sausage.

Lex speared a sausage of his own—he didn't want to get grease all over his keyboard by using his fingers on it—and chewed it thoughtfully. "Not a bad idea. We could have fun with that. Keep everyone guessing which one of us is hacking."

"Joshua would be able to tell you apart."

Lex frowned and realized Griff was right. "You like Joshua, don't you?"

Griff nodded. "He's cool. I wouldn't mind working for him."

Lex suspected he'd get his wish. With them unable to be too far part, about the only way Lex could keep working there was if Griff were also employed. Lex wasn't going to accept any working arrangement that didn't take Griff into account. He pushed the thought aside. There'd be plenty of time to deal with that later.

“So what’s next?” Griff asked. “Since the plate was a dead end.”

Lex chewed another pancake while he thought. “I supposed I could try to trace more art sales, but I’m not sure that will lead to much.”

“So we wait for the stuff from Karl?”

Lex shrugged. He didn’t like being waiting on other people, but he was basically out of leads at this point. This thing was well designed to fly under the radar. Could he do more investigation of the companies he’d found? He was sure he’d been thorough, but maybe he could look again? See if Griff saw something he’d missed?

Luckily, he didn’t have to ponder any longer. His email showed a new message, and when he went to look at it, he saw it was what they had been waiting for. The message looked to be from the NIH again, and it had a link to what he suspected was an encrypted cloud location. At least, he hoped it was encrypted.

Griff must have noticed his expression. “Is that it?”

Lex was already at work. First he ran a few programs to make sure the link wasn’t taking him someplace filled with malware or traps. “I think so. Let me do some checking first. I don’t click links like this without investigating thoroughly.”

“Good idea.” Griff went back to his breakfast while Lex did his thing.

A few minutes later, Lex couldn’t find anything wrong with the link, and he clicked it. As he’d suspected, it led to a digital file locker. He vaguely recognized it as one he’d seen but never used before. Griff leaned against his back, shifting to avoid putting pressure on his bad shoulder.

“That’s a lot of files,” Griff said.

Lex nodded, starting to sort through them. Spreadsheets, documents, image files. Pretty much everything. “It’s going to take us forever to go through all this! I hope I can get Terri and Stiles to help us out.”

Griff pointed to a spreadsheet. “Open that one.”

Lex did so and saw that it was a list of art items, presumably ones that hadn’t yet been sold. “What are you thinking, Griff?”

Griff reached over for the mouse and started scrolling. He was nodding. He opened another file. This one was a list of bank accounts. “You need to check out the money going in and out of those accounts. If these are all of them, we can get some idea of exactly how much cash they need on hand to finance this operation. I’m betting those soul transfers or whatever they call them aren’t cheap.”

Lex agreed. “All right. I can hack those accounts. Where are you going with this?”

“How do you shut down an operation of this scale?” Griff asked.

Lex got it. “You cut off the money flow.” He went back to the file of art objects. Each item had a value beside it, presumably the amount they were valued at. He saw one amount and blinked. “You’re kidding? $200 million dollars?”

Griff nodded against his back. “Sure. It’s a Rembrandt. That might be low. Looks like there’s still a billion or more dollars here.” He humphed and sat back down, his expression thoughtful.

Lex raised a questioning eyebrow at him. “What?”

Griff spoke slowly, as if he was piecing it together as he spoke. “We’ll know more when you break into the accounts, but you know how I said we weren’t getting the entire story from Karl?”

“Yeah?”

“What if the part he didn’t want us to know was that they were running out of money?”

Lex pointed to the spreadsheet. “You just said that might be a billion or more.”

“Right, but for cutting-edge medical stuff, that’s pocket change.” His eyes widened. “Oh, shit! We need to find out who Karl really is.”

“We do?” Lex wasn’t used to feeling like the slowest person in the room, but Griff was obviously going somewhere, and he didn’t know where.

Griff was nodding. “Yeah. Assuming I’m right, I think he’s trying to stop them from spending more money. He wants it for something. Either for himself, but I don’t think so. I do think he’s really tired of living.”

“And I can’t see him wanting it for Dean. He’s made it pretty clear how little he values him.”

“Right. So I’m guessing it’s a family member. Which is why I want us to find out more about him. The more knowledge and leverage we have, the better we’re going to be able to dismantle this.”

“Without ending up falling into some sort of trap,” Lex added.

“Exactly. And we need to send the list of remaining art objects out to the various auction houses with a do not sell notice. No matter what Karl’s plot, shutting down the flow of money will stop the transference.”

Lex saw Griff shudder, and he reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. No one’s doing any crazy transferences with you. We will shut this thing down.”

He continued to browse through the files until one made him stop. “Yes!” he said. He almost did a fist pump with his bad arm, but the sudden stab of pain stopped him.

Griff had gotten up to put plates in the sink but he came back. “What?”

Lex pointed at the file and opened it. It contained a list of addresses. “What do you want to bet those are locations, either where these people live or where their offices are or something like that?”

Griff was looking over his shoulder again. “I think you’re right. I recognize one of those addresses. It’s a medical complex in Reston. A couple of those look like they might be high end neighborhoods.” He touched one. “Pretty sure that’s a Great Falls address.”

“I think you’re right.” He turned around and hugged Griff as best he could with one arm and a sling. “I think we have someplace to start. I’m going to call Joshua and let him know we need other people to look at these files. Then I’ll start hacking those bank accounts and see what I can find.”

“What do you need me to do?” Griff asked, hugging him back and giving him a quick kiss.

“We need a second computer. You can look at files too.” He winked at Griff. “Or you could just sit nearby and look handsome.”

Griff laughed. “I suppose I could, but I’m not sure how much hacking you’d get done if I did that.”

Lex shrugged. “Probably none. But I’d enjoy it.”

Griff ruffled his hair. “Want to shower with me first?”

Lex was definitely on board with that.

***

They lingered in the shower longer than they probably should have but finally got downstairs. Lex had called Joshua who had said he’d get some people on the files and that he’d messenger a laptop over for Griff.

As soon as the laptop arrived, Griff sat down to plow through files. With his experience in RICO cases, he started with the spreadsheets while Lex hacked bank accounts.

Several hours later, Lex said, “You were right, Griff. Hacking the accounts was worthwhile.”

Griff slid his chair over to look at Lex’s screen. “What do you have?”

Lex split his screen to show several accounts at once. Griff saw it right away and smiled. “They are running out of money?”

Lex gave him a big grin. “Yes.” He scrolled back through a few months. “It looks like they have been going through something like $20 million a month for the past couple of years. It was less a decade ago, but even then, they were burning through $5-10 million a month.”

“And how much do they have across all the accounts?” Griff asked.

“Less than a hundred million.”

Griff whistled. “Well that’s good news for us. I’m betting they are getting ready to sell more art.”

“I wouldn’t take that bet. Joshua emailed me an hour ago. Said the art list has been sent out. And guess what?”

Griff raised an eyebrow at him. “I’ll bite. What?”

Lex gave him a wink. “Wait? You never said you’d bite. Did I need to ask nicer?”

Griff mock swatted his head. “Okay. Enough with the flirting. What about the art?”

Lex’s expression sobered. “Joshua said the Rembrandt was already at an auction house. It was going up for sale this weekend.”

Griff smiled. “So we are right. They are running out of money. The timing explains why Karl reached out to us when he did.”

“I think you’re right.”

“So now we have some decisions to make.”

Lex tilted his head in question. “Which are?”

“Do we take this down slow or fast? We can wait for them to run out of money and start doing something stupid, making them easier to find. Or we try to hunt them down now and put them out of business faster.”

Lex was nodding. “I can see that. But, Griff, for Dean’s sake, I think we have to go fast. If Karl’s associates figure out he’s behind the art sales being blocked, they’ll kill him. And then there’ll be no reason to keep Dean alive.”

“I agree. I was hoping you’d see it differently.”

“I don’t think so. If Dean weren’t in the picture, maybe. Plus,” He waved at the room. “As nice as this place is, I’d like to get back to my own place. And my life.”

Griff tried to hide his reaction to that. Of course Lex would want to go back to his own life. One that didn’t include one crazy ex-FBI agent.

Lex immediately reached out to him. “No, Griff. I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t want to be hiding away. I definitely want you as a part of my life.”

Griff’s eyes widened. That sounded pretty permanent to him. Surely Lex wasn’t saying what that sounded like. They hadn’t known each other very long.

Lex leaned forward and kissed him. “Yes, you idiot. I meant it exactly how I said it.” He looked down, expression suddenly shy. “I mean, if you want it too.”

Griff kissed him back before responding. “Uh. Yeah. I mean, apart from the fact that I have absolutely no where to go and no real life to go back to, I really like both working with you and--” He felt his face go red. “And the other stuff too.”

Lex smiled. “Good. Then we are in agreement about that. We take them down fast, head to Tahiti to celebrate and then get back to work.”

Griff smiled back at him, but he still had to wonder. Was Lex really understanding how closely tied together they were? And what that meant for his life? It was good of him to say it now, but Griff had to wonder if he’d mean it later.

Was it safe to get too close to Lex? Would it just make things harder later? Or was it too late to even be wondering about it? He wasn’t sure he could let go at this point.

*** 

They filled in Joshua and Jackson on everything they had found and grabbed a few hours of sleep. When they woke up, Lex started going through more documents while Griff sat at his borrowed laptop and thought about how to track down Karl.

He’d certainly researched and tracked people before. He knew how to go about it in principle. What made this one harder was how old Karl was. How many records from World War II would be available?

But then he had an idea. Did he need records from that far back?

He started a Google search on “nazi scientists studying genetics” and ended up on a Wikipedia page talking about eugenics. He scrolled down the page and found an entry for “Nazi eugenics.” There were plenty of scientists listed. He settled down to research all of them.

After a few hours, he had found plenty of scientists who could have been Karl or could have been his associates. Photographs were of no help because none of them would look like they did during the War. He ignored the dates of death because, again, none of those would apply.

He did, however, eliminate anyone who had died in prison. While he supposed some of them could have faked their deaths or had the historical record altered, he needed to cut down the list of names somehow. He’d never realized how many there had been.

Once he had eliminated them, he started going through the remaining names, researching as much of their lives as he could. The more he read, the more something nagged at him. It was like there was a person or persons missing.

He went back through them again, looking for patterns.

After another hour, he sat back. “Lex?”

The hacker turned around. Griff was vaguely aware they had both been sitting in one place for too long. He noted the pain lines around Lex’s eyes and got up to get him another pain pill.

Lex shook his head. “See if there’s any Excedrin around here. Motrin in a pinch. I don’t want to take anything that will make me muzzy.”

Griff went upstairs and into the bathroom. He was happy to note that this time, he had no ill effects from the distance from Lex. Maybe Karl had been right. He found some Excedrin in the medicine cabinet and started laughing. Taking the bottle downstairs, he gave it to Lex, who looked at it and also started laughing.

The bottle had a Post-It note on it.  _ Griff, don’t let Lex take more than 6 at a time. Try to keep him to 4, though. _

“I take it you have a reputation?” Griff asked.

Lex popped open the bottle and shook out six. “Don’t even try to stop me. Joshua’s just trying to put you in an impossible situation. Painkiller plus caffeine? Pretty much made to order for me.”

Griff shook his head and took back the bottle. “I guess. But I’m not giving this back until tomorrow.”

Lex dry swallowed the pills. “So what did you want? Or were you just wanting me to take something?”

“No, I just noticed you looked like you were in pain. I wanted you to look at something.”

Lex slid his chair over to Griff’s laptop. “You found something?”

Griff sat down beside him. “No, it’s more what I didn’t find.”

Lex was scrolling through the pages, alternating between the browser and Griff’s notes in WordPad. After a couple of minutes, he started frowning. “They mention a book that justified their eugenics programs, but none of the entries mention the title.”

“Or the author,” Griff said, pleased Lex had seen the same thing.

Lex made a “humph” sound and copied all the URLs into a file, which he then emailed to himself. Then he went back to his laptop, pulled his bad arm from his sling and started working with both hands.

“Pretty sure you’re not supposed to do that,” Griff commented. “The sling is there for a reason.”

Lex didn’t say anything and didn’t even seem to have heard. Griff guessed this is what he looked like when he was on an electronic hunt. He scooted over and looked over his shoulder, hoping he didn’t mind.

Again, Lex didn’t seem to notice. He opened up the email and clicked on the various links. Then he opened up a program Griff didn’t recognize. It had a simple text screen interface and no menus, instructions or anything that looked like a user interface. He assumed it was something Lex had written himself. Lex typed in some instructions that meant nothing to Griff, copied in one of the URLs and sat back for a moment. The program did  _ something _ Griff assumed, and a moment later, Lex opened a browser, which again didn’t look like a commercial product, and the page about an Ernst Rudin. Only this time, there was a paragraph that hadn’t been there before.

Griff read it and started smiling. “I think you’ve found it.”

The paragraph read: “Rüdin was among the first to attempt to educate the public about the "dangers" of hereditary defectives and the value of the Nordic race as "culture creators". By 1920 his colleague Alfred Hoche published, with lawyer Karl Binding, the influential "Allowing the Destruction of Life Unworthy of Living".”

Lex opened up another screen, typed in “Karl Binding” and waited. The program chewed for a bit and finally text started filling the screen. They started reading, and Griff realized Lex had found the history of this Karl Binding.

“What did you do?” Griff asked.

“Few things ever get deleted,” Lex said. “If you know how to look for them, you can usually find them. Someone did a pretty good job of hiding Karl Binding’s history, but not quite good enough.”

“This Alfred Hoche isn’t someone I found either.”

Lex nodded. “I’m thinking he’s another one of the cabal.”

Griff sat back, rubbing his chin. He was starting to get scruffy and wondered if he should shave or just let it grow. He didn’t need to be a good FBI agent now. “How well was it deleted?”

Lex frowned at him. “What do you mean?”

“Karl good? Dean good? Or Dean who wanted us to find it good?”

Lex’s eyes opened wide. “Oh.” He looked into the distance for a moment, rubbing his shoulder. Griff gently took Lex’s arm and put it back in his sling. Finally, Lex said, “Almost certainly not Karl good. From what we’ve seen of him, I don’t think he could have covered his tracks that well. So Dean good, definitely.” He paused again before shrugging. “If I had to guess, I’d say Dean wanted us to find it. It’s hard to tell, but some of it looked to have been deleted recently, so my guess is that Karl only recently asked him to hide his tracks.”

Griff nodded. “That makes sense. Until now, he would have had no reason to worry. No one would have known to look for him.”

“Right. And I think the guy who spoofed his location for that email would have covered his tracks better.”

“Okay. So Dean is helping us as much as he can.”

“I’d say yes.”

“Now we know who Karl is,” Griff went on. “Now we need to know what he’s really up to. Because if he was completely on the up and up with us, he wouldn’t have cared if we’d found him.”

“So you think he’s not hiding  _ who _ he is? You think he’s hiding what he’s really up to?”

“I think so.”

“Then we need to check him out further.”

The started reading through everything Lex could dig up about Karl, and after about half an hour, they thought they had it.

“Guilt?” Griff said. “Really?”

Lex shrugged. “He’s lived a really long time. May regret it. And is making up for it somehow?”

What they had found was a woman named Eva Gabriele Reichmann, who had been the sister of Elisabeth Jungmann who had  _ almost _ been the wife of Karl Binding’s son. He had been unable to marry her because she was Jewish. Elisabeth had married a rich man on his deathbed, and Eva had been the executor of her estate. She had two children, who had children who were still living, one of them in the U.S. However, when Lex had researched the American grandchild, a Carl Gabriel, it appeared as if he had fallen on hard times, and he had a disabled child. The Gabriels were living in almost abject poverty.

“So you think he wants to take care of Carl and his son?” Griff asked. “Out of some...odd regret that his son hadn’t been able to marry the woman he loved?”

“Why not? People look back on their lives and regret odder things. Eva and Elisabeth were almost as well concealed as Karl had been.”

Griff couldn’t find fault with it. “We’ll go with it. It might give us some sort of leverage over him.”

“Probably will. The more I looked, the more convinced I am that Dean wanted us to find this stuff. Which means he thinks it’s worth knowing.”

“I guess we’ll find out for sure when we start taking this thing down.’

“Hopefully,” Lex agreed before he went back to looking at documents.

Griff sighed and looked mournfully at his own computer. A nice, boring stakeout was looking pretty attractive right about now.


	17. Chapter 17

The next few days passed with agonizing slowness for Lex. He and Griff continued to look at documents while Director Gage coordinated with the FBI for a combined agency operation. They were planning a simultaneous assault on both the office buildings and the residences in the file. Currently, they had agents staking out all the locations, and several Lex and Griff look-alikes had already been spotted, confirming they were checking out the correct locations.

Each time they heard about another look-alike, Griff looked distressed, but he dealt with it by diving back into more documents. Lex was worried about him, but everything they found was another piece in the puzzle, and they were feeling the pressure to wrap this up quickly.

Lex’s nightmares were starting to ease. He was down to no more than one, or sometimes two a night. They were still bad, but he was almost starting to get used to them. He knew Griff still wanted him to get counseling, and he knew the other agent was right, but there wasn’t time.

He used some of the relative down time to research Dana and her involvement in the plot. While he found more than enough to satisfy him that she was completely unethical, he couldn’t find any direct links between her and the cabal. He and Griff reluctantly decided the cabal had used her without her knowing why.

That didn’t stop Lex from destroying her credit rating. Griff had given him hell about it, but considering the quality of sex after that, Lex was sure he hadn’t actually been that upset about it.

There had been two further communications from Karl, although both Lex and Griff continued to be convinced they were actually from Dean.

The first was an acknowledgement that shutting down art sales was a good move. Griff and Lex had worried for a moment that meant they had misjudged Karl’s plan. But then Griff had pointed out that he’d given them the art file and the bank accounts. He must have planned for them to make the connection. Lex had agreed but still wondered how much of the plan they _hadn’t_ yet guessed at.

The second message started a flurry of activity.

_Shutting down art sales causing a panic. Meeting of all cabal members in three days. Not sure of location yet. Will let you know._

Lex had been amused that Karl/Dean also referred to them as a “cabal.”

Joshua had said it was time for them to brief the Director in person, and he sent a car to bring them in.

Lex had basically gotten to the point where he didn’t need the sling and was using Excedrin--to excess as far as Griff was concerned--to manage the pain. Which was good. It was bad enough that he’d be going to the Agency in jeans--no suits had appeared in the suitcases--he didn’t want to have a sling too.

Griff had also seemed uncomfortable being so casually dressed, so Lex ended up reassuring him that Gage was an okay guy and would completely understand. The irony of his own nerves was not lost on him, but he tried not to let on to Griff.

When they arrived at the Agency, Joshua met them at the metal detectors. He handed a Visitor’s badge to Griff and Lex’s own badge to him.

He raised an eyebrow at Lex. “Bit casual there, aren’t you, Lex?”

Lex raised an eyebrow right back at him. “Seems the guys you sent to my apartment never opened my closet door. Too challenging for them?”

“One of them was Stiles. Want to say that to his face?” Joshua shot back.

“Oh he knows I think he’s a Neanderthal,” Lex said, completely unperturbed.

Everyone near the detectors was listening. About half of them were grinning. The other half looked confused or concerned.

“Still might need to report the dress code violation to HR. I understand Holland is still looking for reasons to interrogate you again.”

Lex smiled back. “And then you’ll have to wonder why your credit score just dropped 200 points.”

He caught Griff’s look of near-horror out of the corner of his eye.

However, Joshua stepped forward to slap him on his shoulder. His bad one, of course. From the gleam in the older man’s eyes, he’d done it on purpose. “Good to have you back, son.”

Griff relaxed slightly beside him.

Several people applauded and a few more said, “Good to have you back, Lex.”

Oh, he wasn’t going to blush at that. Or maybe he was.

Jackson, who had been watching the entire exchange from a few feet away, said, “And if the two of you are finished insulting each other, perhaps we can get you to the briefing.” He reached out to shake Griff’s hand. “Good to meet you Agent Krenshaw. I’m Jackson Haisley, and I’ve seen your analysis. It’s excellent.”

Griff shook back. “Thank you, Mr. Haisley. But you can just call me Griff.”

“And you can call me Jackson.”

He turned and walked off, leading the procession in the direction of a conference room. Lex smiled to himself. He’d not realized how much he’d missed Jackson and his ever-present files.

Griff walked beside him and whispered, “That was all okay, right? You’re not getting fired?”

Lex grinned and whispered back, “It’s fine. Joshua and I do that sort of thing all the time. Besides, I may have improved his credit score a while back to help him with paying for his wedding.”

Griff chuckled. “You know you just admitted that to an FBI agent, right? I could have you arrested for that.”

Lex bumped shoulders with him. “Does that mean you’ll handcuff me?”

Griff choked at that. Lex needed to corrupt him a bit more. While Griff did have a sense of humor, he could still use some loosening up.

Lex was surprised and gratified by how many people had apparently missed him. He received numerous well wishes as they made their way to a conference room.

“They seem to really like you here, Lex,” Griff remarked after he’d gotten his third hug.

“Yeah. I don’t think I really knew it until now.”

Griff gave him a quick one-armed hug. “You deserve it.”

Lex didn’t know quite what to say to that, and he just kept walking. Fortunately, they ended up at the conference room right after that. Jackson opened the door and motioned them inside. Where he ended up with an armful of Terri.

“Uh, hi, Terri. Good to see you too.”

She pulled back and slapped him, hard enough to hurt a bit. “And that’s for worrying us.”

“Us?”

She motioned behind her to Stiles, who was regarding them with evident amusement. He shrugged as if to say _what are you going to do about her?_

Right.

Director Gage hadn’t arrived yet, and Lex hastily introduced Griff to everyone who didn’t already know him. He was amused to note that Terri gave him a hug too. Griff hugged her back, but Lex could tell he was bemused by the attention.

The Director arrived and gave Lex a long once-over. “Good to see you looking better, Lex. I hope we won’t have a repeat, though.”

Lex swallowed hard. “No, sir. That’s not in the plan.”

“Good. See that it isn’t.” He introduced himself to Griff with an “I understand you’re doing excellent work.” Followed by, “And you do look an awful lot like our Lex.”

“Not at all, sir,” Griff responded. “Lex is much better looking than I am.”

Lex tried and failed again not to blush. It didn’t help that he was looking at Terri at the time. She gave him a thumbs up.

Ice broken, Gage turned to the room at large. “So who is going to fill me in on this. What are we calling it? Gigantic Genetic Conspiracy?”

“Global, Sir,” Joshua said. “I believe Jackson and I had agreed on Global Genetic Conspiracy.”

“Global then. Where are we with it?”

Naturally, Joshua looked to him for the overview. Lex filled in the Director on the bank accounts, art for sale and the results of the stake outs of the various buildings, ending with the most recent communication about the upcoming meeting. He let Griff take over for his research into Karl's possible motivations. He noted that Griff briefed as he did most everything else, crisply and thoroughly, covering all the points with few wasted words. Terri caught his eye and gave him another thumbs up. While he was glad she approved of his choice, he still had to wonder if he had the full story behind Griff's disgrace.

Even Gage seemed impressed. As soon as Griff had finished, the Director said, “That was excellent.” He turned to Lex. “You could learn a thing or two.”

“Yes, sir,” was all he said, not taking offense at the comment. Gage was right.

“So, if I'm understanding correctly, we have two options. We can wait for the cabal meeting and hope to take them all out at once. We could hit their offices and places of residence before the meeting and hope we don't miss anyone.”

“Correct, Sir,” Lex said.

“But no matter what we do, we need to attempt to get Dean out unharmed,” Griff added.

Gage nodded. “Yes, I can see that. Recommendations?”

“I think we wait for the meeting,” Jackson said. “We can assume Karl will be there, which mean Dean will be there as well. It seems to be the most controlled situation to rescue him.”

“Is there any way to get him out in advance?” Gage asked.

Everyone looked to Lex, who made a yes/no motion with his hand. “To do that, we'd have to either know where Karl lives, and so far we've been unable to determine that, or get a message to him.”

“Which is risky because we have to assume Karl is reading the messages,” Gage said.

“Yes.”

“Even waiting for the meeting is risky,” Joshua said. “Since most of the people at that meeting look exactly alike, not counting the couple of blonds we've seen. And may I point out, Lex, that blond is _not_ a good look for you?”

“Whether I give you permission or not is irrelevant since you just said it,” Lex said with a quick grin.

“Which is why my policy is to ask for forgiveness later,” Joshua said.

“Focus people,” Gage said, although he smiled as he said it.

“There may be a way,” Griff said.

Now he was the focus of attention, which didn't seem to bother him at all.

“We are assuming Karl is reading the messages and that he is the one directing Dean to send them. Which means he wants us to be at that meeting. What if we sent a message indicating we'd get him out? Suggest he might want some time to get his affairs in order. And ask him and Dean to wear something distinctive. He'd want to get Dean out because it might take more than a day or two to get everything ready.”

Everyone tossed that idea around for a few minutes, and the general consensus was that it was sound. The meeting wrapped up with Gage giving his approval to the plan. Stiles would coordinate with the people on the assault while Lex sent the message to Karl/Dean.

The meeting broke up, but before they could leave, Griff walked over to talk to Stiles. Curious, Lex followed.

“I want to be a part of the assault team,” Griff was saying.

 _Oh shit!_ Lex thought, remembering what Griff had told him about the last operation he'd been a part of. Was this really a good idea?

“According to what I've heard,” Stiles said. “That means Lex is going to have to be there too. He's not really trained for this, and he's still injured.”

Lex surprised himself by saying, “I can do it. I've been training for it.”

“Besides, he doesn't have to be at the front of the take down,” Griff pointed out. “He doesn't have to be right beside me. Just in the vicinity.”

Stiles looked them both up and down. “I need to check you out on weapons and tactics,” he said.

“Of course,” Griff answered.

Stile nodded. “All right then. If you check out, you can come along. We'll find a support role for Lex that's near enough.”

“When you check me out, we can find out exactly how far apart we can be. We haven't really tested that yet.”

“Sounds good. Back here at 05:00 tomorrow morning.”

Lex stifled a groan. He didn't want to mess this up for Griff, but he knew Stiles had set the time so early on purpose. He'd do it for Griff, though.


	18. Chapter 18

Griff had no trouble satisfying even Stiles’ requirements to be a part of the team. His marksmanship was excellent as was his reaction time and tactical acumen. The gun Joshua had obtained for him a week ago was proclaimed “adequate,” and both Lex and Griff were outfitted with vests.

Griff tried to convince Lex to carry a gun, but the hacker refused, saying “it really wasn’t his thing” and that he much preferred his laptop.

They tested distance, and it appeared as if 500 feet was the outside distance they could be apart. Much farther than that, and Griff started to feel unsettled and like he’d start seeing his brother if Lex got too much farther away. Stiles said he thought they could work with that. They were planning to have some vans for coordination on site, and Lex could stay in one of those while Griff could be a part of the actual raid.

Lex sent the email to Karl/Dean, suggesting they wear something distinctive and that the agents would try to get them out unharmed if they could recognize them. A response came back that they would be wearing matching red sweaters. Lex rolled his eyes and made some comment about how it wasn’t even close to Christmas, but he passed the information on to Stiles for the briefing.

The location of the meeting came back as well, and Griff was pleased to see it was one of the addresses in Great Falls that he’d noticed in the file. Lex was able to hack into the network of the company that had built the neighborhood, and he found a likely floor plan to use for planning the raid.

Stiles gave everyone their assignments, and they were ready to roll two hours before the planned meeting time.

***

As was often the case with such things, everything went well until it didn’t. They were able to get the team into position without being spotted by anyone from the cabal. Lex took down the local cell tower while Stiles cut the main phone and Internet lines into the house. Once their ability to call for help was disabled, the main strike team moved in on the house.

Griff coordinated with the team to get Dean and Karl out of the house safely. He and Lex had talked about it, and they had decided that while Karl definitely deserved to die and wanted to die, giving him what he wanted was not the most appropriate punishment. Locking him in a dank cell and interrogating him on cabal plans had a certain irony to it that appealed to both of them.

And just about the time Karl and Dean were out of the way was when things went wrong. Griff heard gunfire from behind them, near where he had left Lex. He also felt a shooting pain in his side, but he knew it wasn't him. 

Shit! Lex. But he couldn't leave his position because he was providing covering fire for another agent. 

His world narrowed to the pain in his side and the three cabal members in front of him.

“Cover me!” he yelled to Stiles. 

The tall man nodded and sent a stream of bullets in the direction of the bad guys. 

Griff heard answering shots, and he stood up. Their opposition was also hunkered down behind furniture, but their position was more exposed than his. His gaze snapped to one man, his head barely visible around the edge of a couch. Griff fired, adjusting automatically for what was in the way. As soon as the bullet left his gun, he was moving to the next target. He caught the glint of light reflecting off a gun barrel and fired again. The barrel dropped to the ground.

He heard two more shots from Stiles' direction and smiled. Exactly what he needed because the third enemy agent fired back, revealing his position. One more shot, and Griff heard a thump from the general direction of the third cabal member.

He crouched down, listening, in case he had miscounted the number of opponents. When several seconds had passed in silence, broken only by the pained breaths of wounded cabalists, Griff shoved the gun into the waistband of his pants, near the small of his back and turned to run outside. 

He saw Lex lying bleeding outside the van. 

"Lex!" he gasped. "Hang in there with me."

Another agent appeared at their side. "I called an ambulance. They're on their way."

Lex was still conscious, but his eyes were glazed with pain, and Griff wasn't sure he was even aware of his surroundings. A hand shoved a shirt at him, and he realized Stiles was standing over them. He'd stripped out of his vest and t-shirt and was giving it to him.

"Pressure on the wound," the agent said.

Right. Griff's brain started working again. He took the shirt, carefully pulled up Lex's shirt, which was soaked by now, and put pressure on the wound. Lex cried out when he did it, but Griff didn't move his hand. "I know it hurts, but we've got to stop you from bleeding."

He thought it was a mercy that Lex's eyes closed and he passed out right then. His chest still rose and fell, although raggedly, so Griff knew he was still alive.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he froze, having just enough presence of mind to keep his hand over the wound. What if Lex died? What would that mean for Griff? Beyond the pain of losing him, he wondered if he'd go crazy again? How could he function without Lex?

He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Terri, a sympathetic, understanding expression on her face. He hadn't realized she had been with the team. It was almost too much, and he had to take a couple of deep breaths to avoid crying. He couldn't break down now. Right now he had to be strong for Lex.

"He'll be fine," was all Terri said, but it was all he could stand to hear right then.

Stiles came back, and Griff startled. He hadn't even realized the man had left them.

"Ambulance is almost here. I can hear the siren."

Relief flowed through Griff. Help was on the way. It might not be enough, but he refused to think about that right now. He was determined to focus on Lex being okay.

Stiles was right, and it was just a few minutes before the paramedics hurried up with their equipment and gurney. It almost hurt to let go of Lex, but Griff forced himself to move away to give them room to work.

They worked on Lex for a few minutes, stabilizing him before lifting him to the gurney to take him to the waiting ambulance.

"You go with him, Griff," Terri said. "We'll meet you at the hospital. I want to call Joshua to let him know."

Griff nodded and hurried after the paramedics. Fortunately, they didn't argue when he climbed into the ambulance after them. Looking like Lex's brother didn't hurt, he guessed.

They continued to work on him while they drove, but Griff was able to hold Lex's hand through most of the drive. He knew it was mostly for him, doubting Lex even felt it, but, as always, it grounded and steadied him to be in physical contact with the young hacker.

The drive to the hospital seemed to take too long, but they finally arrived, and Griff followed the gurney into the building. Which was when he ran into a snag he should have anticipated.

They rushed Lex through a large set of double doors leading to the surgery suites. Griff automatically followed, but a nurse put a hand to his chest and said, "I'm sorry, but you can't follow him here." She pointed to the waiting room. "Take a seat out here, and someone will come out when we know something."

She left to follow the gurney, and Griff was left behind, watching the gurney vanish down the hall and out of sight. He stumbled for a seat and almost fell into it.

Less than a minute later, he felt a growing discomfort, almost but not quite pain, building within him. It was like a rubber band within him was fastened to something and stretching thinner and thinner.

He stood up and moved to the bank of seats closest to the door to through which Lex had vanished. It helped for a few seconds, but as soon as he sat down, the discomfort returned. He felt restless, as if he needed to be somewhere else. He wanted to walk around, but he knew moving any farther away from the door would be trouble.

A moment later, he realized how much worse it could get. His brother, Eric, still dressed in the garish Hawaiian shirt, eyes as black as the pits of Hell, sauntered toward him.

Griff retained enough of his sanity to recognize his brother for the hallucination he was, but he couldn't stop himself from whimpering, drawing up his knees and holding them tightly. He closed his eyes. Now he couldn't see his brother, but he knew the man was still there, could feel his cold breath on his face.

"Griff? What's wrong?"

Terri's voice replaced the whisper of the grave, and Griff forced himself to open his eyes. His brother was still there, but he was behind Terri, and Griff could focus on her. 

"They took Lex back." He uncurled enough to motion behind him. "He's—" He broke off, suddenly unable to speak.

Terri's eyes reflected understanding sympathy back at him. "He's too far away from you."

"Yeah." All he could manage was a whisper.

"Hallucinations?" she asked.

He nodded and motioned with his chin behind her.

She turned but of course saw nothing. "What are you seeing?"

He managed to get the words out. "My brother."

She sat down on the chair behind him and wrapped both arms around him. He leaned gratefully into her grounding warmth. It wasn't enough, but it did help.

"I've got you," she said. "Stiles will be here in a moment. We'll stay with you until Lex is out of surgery."

Griff nodded and closed his eyes. Behind Terri, his brother had produced a gun and was threatening to shoot her in the back of her head. He was starting to lose his awareness that the apparition was not real. His connection to Lex felt so thin and stretched. Everything was starting to hurt, and he had no idea what to do about it.

He lost track of time, wrapped in pain, depression and fear. His brother spoke to him, words meant to hurt. How could you have left us? Didn't you know how much we needed you? You never loved us. Why shouldn't I just kill you now?

Another arm wrapped around his shoulders from the other side, and he opened his eyes to see Stiles mirroring Terri's posture. "Hey," the big man said, "Terri told me. We got you, man. I called Joshua. He's on his way."

Griff nodded but couldn't form words.

He lost more time, but suddenly the pain within him grew unbearable. A hole opened within him and threatened to swallow him up. With an effort, he stopped the scream that swelled within him.

"What's wrong?" Terri asked.

"Hurts," was all Griff could manage to say. What had happened? Then he got it. His sense of Lex had been faint but present throughout. Now it was gone. Emptiness reigned within him where once there had been Lex.

"He's gone," Griff managed to choke out.

"Gone?" Stiles asked. "What?"

"You mean that Lex is dead?" Terri asked, horror in her voice.

"I think so." Griff opened his eyes. His brother grinned down at him. Father Warren was giving him  _ a this is what happens when you fail  _ look. His sister was there too, asking with silent eyes why he'd left them? Why he hadn't saved them?

A part of him wanted to close his eyes, to block out their accusing gazes. Another part of him thought he deserved it. He had failed so many, ending with his failure to save Lex. Was this the rest of his life now, without the buffering effect of Lex? Was it better to end his own life now?

Terri was gripping him tightly, as if she sensed his thoughts. She was murmuring words which he couldn't make out but which sounded comforting. Comfort he didn't deserve. Stiles held him from the other side, saying nothing, just being a solid presence. Griff wished he could take comfort from it, but the hole inside him was too huge.

Between one endless moment and another, Lex returned. Griff gasped, half in relief, half in shock.

"What happened?" Stiles asked. Terri didn't stop her murmured comfort.

"He's back," Griff said, barely able to believe what he was saying.

"Maybe his heart stopped, and they got it going again?" Stiles asked.

Griff hesitantly opened his eyes. His brother was still there, but the other two had gone. He gave a small sigh of relief. It was still bad but almost a bearable bad. Eric still had the  _ you're going to join me in hell, brother _ grin on his face, and Griff closed his eyes again.

"Maybe," he said. It did make sense.

More time passed. Emptiness overcame him one more time, and he thought this time he would break. However, he managed to keep on going one second at a time, and finally Lex came back.

Griff was exhausted, physically and emotionally. He wanted this to be over. Each minute that passed drew him farther and farther from reality and deeper into the nightmare world of his hallucinations.

Closing his eyes didn't even help. Eric's black-eyed face was plastered to his inner vision as vividly as his outer.

Gradually, he became aware of a voice calling his name. It wasn't Terri, Stiles or Eric. He struggled back to rationality bit by bit, trying to place it. Finally, he recognized it.

"Joshua?" he managed to ask.

A gentle hand touched his face. "Yes, son. It's me."

Griff swallowed once and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Stiles called me to tell me what happened. I was afraid they'd separate you and Lex, and I've been making arrangements to get him transferred to our medical center. We'll make sure you two stay together. But I need you to hold on just a bit longer. Can you do that?"

Griff was pretty sure the answer was no, but this was Joshua. Lex adored his boss, and Griff couldn't let him down. He forced his neck to nod once. It was the best he could do.

"That's good, Griff. You hang on. Let me see what's going on with Lex."

Griff felt cold and shivered. Terri and Stiles held him even tighter, but it didn’t help. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out. His grip on his sanity was getting weaker, assuming he still had any left.

Some time later, he heard Joshua's voice again. "Son. I know it will be hard, but I need you to do something for me."

Griff shook his head, the motion involuntary. No, he couldn’t give anything more. He hurt. He couldn't tell nightmare from reality. He was pretty sure he wasn't even close to sane anymore.

"Come on, Griff. I just need you to open your eyes and stand up. They've finished with Lex and are taking him to recovery. If you can stand up and at least look like you're listening, they'll let you go be with him. You want to see Lex, don't you?"

Did he ever. But was Lex even alive? Was this even really Joshua, or was this just another part of the nightmare?

"This is real, Griff." Terri's voice held no room for doubt. It was strong and certain. Could he believe it? Eric's mocking voice said he couldn't, but his brother was dead, right?

That small wisp of connection to Lex said he could do this. Could believe it.

He sighed and opened his eyes. Eric was there. So was Father Warren and his sister. Oh, this was bad. The last time he saw all three of them, Lex had been gone. What did it mean that he was seeing them all now when Lex was still here?

"Good job, son. Now stand up."

It wasn't easy, but he managed to get to his feet. Terri supported his right side, although Stiles had moved toward the door Lex had vanished through.

A doctor opened the door and approached them. "Mr. Krenshaw? You're Lex's brother?” 

From somewhere, Griff found the strength to nod once. Eric mocked him, but he did it anyway. If nodding would get him to Lex then dammit, he was going to nod.

The doctor was speaking, but Griff wasn’t processing any of it. He did his best to look attentive, assuming Joshua or Terri would fill him in later.

What he did manage to comprehend, however, was the doctor saying that he could see Lex in just a few minutes. Then he turned away and vanished in a swirl of white coat.

"Did you get any of that, Griff?" Terri asked. He found it easier to process her words than the doctor's.

He shook his head.

"He lost a lot of blood, and they nearly lost him twice on the table. That was what you felt. But they've replaced what he lost and stitched him up. If they can avoid infection, he should be fine."

"The doctor's not happy about moving him," Joshua added. "But he'll go along with it."

The FBI agent in Griff wanted to know what Joshua had threatened the doctor with, but he didn't have the energy to ask.

A few minutes later, the doctor came back and motioned Griff to follow him.

He had a moment of panic when he realized he had to go on without Terri's support, but he dug deep and found a tiny bit of strength, just enough to get his legs moving.

The doctor led him through the door and down a hallway. By the time they had walked a hundred feet or so, Griff's connection to Lex became more solid. Another 50 feet, and the pain throughout his body began to subside. Another 25, and Eric was swept away like a cloud in a high wind.

His thoughts began to move clearly. He could process his surroundings. He didn't feel precisely good yet, but it was a definite improvement over earlier. The air entering his lungs felt like it was giving him energy. Awareness of sound returned.

Finally, the doctor opened another door and ushered him into another room with three beds, only one of which was occupied.

It was Lex. He was covered by tubes and wires, but Griff knew he was alive. The doctor was saying something, but Griff couldn't understand it and didn't care. His legs carried him forward, and he forced himself to move at a measured pace. He retained just enough awareness of his surroundings to know that running would cause the wrong reaction.

The entire room collapsed down to the young man in the hospital bed. Nothing else mattered. Finally, Griff got to his side, sank down on the chair that sat beside the bed. He reached for Lex's hand, the one that didn't have an IV running into it, and he clasped it gently yet firmly.

Finally, the residual discomfort left him. His thoughts moved normally. He felt clear for the first time since Lex had been shot.


	19. Chapter 19

Although Griff was content in Lex's presence, some of the thoughts which had plagued him during his torment in the waiting room persisted. Now that he knew what it was like being away from Lex, did it make sense to keep on going? Lex had his career, friends who valued him, and a boss who protected and encouraged him. What did Griff offer except a washed-up agent with serious mental health issues? It might be better to end things. They'd defeated the conspiracy. Karl was in custody. Dean was safe. Lex didn't need him anymore. Was his absence the best gift Griff had to offer? How could Lex even do his job properly if he needed to babysit Griff to keep him from going even more insane than he already was?

Those thoughts chased themselves around and around in his head while he sat there, both basking in Lex's presence and hating himself for being too weak to just fucking leave.

Lex's hand stirred in his, gripped him more tightly. Griff raised his head. Lex opened his eyes, their amber gaze unfocused but looking around.   
"Griff?" came the weak, tired voice.

Griff squeezed his hand. "I'm here, Lex."

The young hacker managed a ragged smile. "What happened?"

"You were shot. It was pretty bad. They had you in surgery for a long time." As he said it, he realized he wasn't sure how long it had actually been. He was pretty sure it had only felt like a month.

Lex's gaze sharpened, focusing on Griff. "Are you okay? Were you hurt too? You look like Hell, Griff."

Griff lowered his eyes to their joined hands. He didn't want to admit to Lex how bad he had been earlier. 

"Griff? What?" Even injured, Lex obviously wasn't going to let it go.

Fortunately, the doctor came in at that moment. Griff looked up at him. His expression was pinched, but his voice was upbeat and pleasant when he spoke. "You're awake, I see. That's good. Apparently your employer is determined to have you moved."

Lex frowned and glanced over at Griff, as if seeking an explanation. "Joshua wants you moved to the medical unit in your complex." He didn't mention anything about the effects of being separated, and Lex was apparently still too out of it to make the connection.

"Okay," was all he said in a weak, tired voice. 

"I'll need you to give us some space, Mr. Krenshaw. You can rejoin us when we take Lex to the ambulance."

Griff was hesitant, and he must have waited too long to get up because the doctor added, "You may wait just outside. There's no need for you to go all the way back to the waiting room."

Relief flooded him. Lex's gaze sharpened on him as he got up to leave. Griff wondered if maybe he hadn't started to figure out what had happened. He was just as happy to leave that conversation for later.

He left the room and stopped just outside the door, leaning back against the wall, eyes closed. Thoughts started to chase themselves through his brain again. He was holding Lex back. Lex didn't need him. He'd be a drain on everyone. It was unlikely he'd be able to get another job since he couldn’t be away from Lex and his record at the FBI would certainly count against him. Maybe it really would be better to just…

A hand landed on his shoulder. "Son?" Joshua's warm, caring voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He opened his eyes. 

"They're getting ready to move him.” 

"I know. But I wasn't here for him at the moment. I'm here for you."

Griff forced a smile and shook his head. "I'm fine. Lex is the one who needs us right now. I'm better now that I'm closer to him."

Joshua shook his head and tightened his grip on Griff's shoulder. "I could see your face when I walked up, Griff. You’re not alright. And I think I know what you're thinking."

Griff swallowed hard. He wasn't ready to have a conversation about the thoughts running around in his head. 

Unfortunately, it didn't look as if Joshua was going to let it slide.

"You're thinking that Lex might be better off if you weren't around, aren't you?"

No, he definitely wasn't ready for this conversation, but there wasn't any way he could get away. He took a deep breath, fulling intending to lie but being surprised when what he said was, "Maybe. I mean, Lex has a good job, and he doesn't need me holding him back."

Joshua gave him a sad look. "Is that the only reason? Lex's job?" His tone indicated he thought it was more than that.

Griff closed his eyes again and sighed. Maybe he could talk it through better if he wasn't looking at the older man. "I'm a mess, Joshua. You know it. You saw me out there. I was bred to be a freak who needs someone else to keep me sane. Lex was perfectly happy before I came along. I'm the one who needs him. He doesn't need me."

There he'd said it. Now Joshua would see it meant sense, and he'd leave him alone.

He became aware of something hard in the small of his back, and he remembered the gun he'd shoved there when the shooting had ended.

"Huh," was all Joshua said. "Funny. I don't remember Lex being perfectly happy, actually. He was lonely, and that loneliness led him to at least one crappy relationship. I don't know if he told you about that one.” 

Griff nodded but didn't feel up to opening his eyes yet. How could he get away from Joshua long enough to get to the gun at his back? "Livia. Yeah. He told me. But that was just one girl. He's a good-looking, really nice guy. He'll find someone if I'm not here to hold him back."

"Have you asked Lex what he wants?" Joshua asked, his tone gentle but still insistent.

That stopped Griff's confused, whirling thoughts. Because of course, no, he hadn't. He hadn't even thought about it.

"You haven't, have you?"

Griff shook his head.

"Don't you think you should?"

He opened his eyes, expecting Joshua to look angry. He didn't. The older man only looked sympathetic. Griff had to swallow hard and blink his eyes to stop the tears that threatened.

"I guess I hadn't thought about it," was all he managed to get out. 

Joshua pulled him into a rough hug. Griff's head fell naturally against his chest. "You've had a lot going on. That's what friends are for. To remind you of stuff when life gets hard."

Griff allowed himself to stay where he was for a moment. Then he noticed Joshua's hands moving on his back. Before he could react, Joshua stepped back, holding the gun.

"If you and Lex come to a decision where giving this back makes sense, I will," Joshua said, his tone still even and non-judgmental. "But until then, I think I'll hang on to it."

Griff wasn't sure what to think about that. He knew the older man was right. He needed to talk to Lex. But he didn't want to. He was ashamed to admit he'd thought about killing himself. Somehow it was easier to talk about it to Joshua than to Lex. 

"Son? What are you thinking now?” 

Griff swallowed. "You're right. I need to ask Lex. But if I ask him, I have to tell him why I'm asking, and…I don't know if I can do that. I've been enough of a burden. I don't want to add to that."

"He'd rather you told him and gave him a chance to weigh in than you going off and him finding out after you'd already done it."

Valid point. Still. 

He took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll talk to him. I'll tell him everything." Oddly, making such a heavy decision seemed to take some weight off of him.

Joshua pulled him in for another hug. "Good decision. I'm pretty sure Lex loves you. He's tough. He'll stick it out with you."

Griff hugged him back before letting go and turning to face the room where he'd left Lex. How much longer before they moved him? Now that he'd made the decision to talk to Lex, he wanted to be away from here.

It wasn't long before they rolled Lex out on a stretcher. The doctor—Griff never had gotten the man's name—followed. "I've sedated him for the trip, so he's out. Moving him after surgery is not my recommendation, but at least he'll be comfortable for it."

Griff ignored the doctor's disapproval and hurried to catch up to the stretcher. Lex's eyes were closed, and he looked peaceful. Griff hated the thought of causing him more pain, but Joshua was right.

The trip to the CIA medbay passed uneventfully. Griff stayed with him through the entire move and hovered nearby while the CIA doctor examined Lex. Once he announced that it didn't appear that the trip had caused any further damage, he left.

Griff was alone with Lex, who was in bed, unconscious.

He'd moved beyond tired and well into exhausted, but he wasn't sure what to do. He needed to sleep. There were other beds in the room, but he'd gotten use to sleeping next to Lex, and he didn't want to be alone. 

He glanced around. He didn't think anyone was nearby. He looked back to Lex's bed. It would be a tight fit, but he didn't care about that.

Shrugging, he carefully maneuvered himself onto the bed and tucked himself against Lex's uninjured side. Within moments, he was asleep.

***

Lex awoke slowly. He was aware enough to know that he was getting tired of getting shot and waking up in a hospital.

Something warm curled up against his side. He blinked his eyes to clear them and slowly moved his head to look down. Even that small motion made the wound in his side throb sharply.

He wasn't surprised to see Griff cuddled against his uninjured side, head pillowed on his chest. Lex was happy to see him. He remembered Griff looking pretty rough at the other hospital, and he wondered what had happened to him. He didn't look injured. Griff had probably been worried about him, but he had the idea it was more than that. Were Terri and Stiles okay?

Gradually, he became aware that Griff's shoulders were moving in a hitching motion. What was that? Was Griff crying? Why was he crying? Lex took a quick mental examination of his body. Fingers and toes moved. Side hurt like anything when he moved, but it didn’t feel like a terminal kind of pain. He felt weak and tired and ached all over, but he didn't think he was dying.

So why was Griff crying in his sleep?

He remembered waking up briefly at the other hospital. Griff had looked rough.

_ You were shot. It was pretty bad. They had you in surgery for a long time. _

The words echoed in his memory. They meant something. Damn his thoughts for moving slowly. This was important.

Then he got it. When he'd been in surgery, he'd been away from Griff. Probably far away. Probably too far away.

Moving his head hurt, but he needed to look at Griff, head pillowed on his chest, silent tears running down his cheeks. "Oh, Griff. I'm sorry. How bad was it?” 

Griff stirred, his head moving back and forth in a silent "No."

"Griff," Lex said. The other man had maneuvered himself under Lex's arm, and he squeezed him as tightly as he could without waking up the pain in his other side. "Wake up, Griff. It's okay. I'm here.” 

Griff's eyes fluttered, started to close again but then opened. Lex could have cried at the sight of those eyes, amber faded into a dull, vaguely yellow-brown. Eyes that had viewed Hell and still lived to regret it.

"Griff? What happened? How bad was it?"

Griff blinked and started to sit up. Lex tightened his grip. "No, stay there." He wanted to feel Griff up next him. Griff insisted the psychic connection only went one way, but Lex wasn't so sure. He just knew he felt better when they were in contact.

"Lex?" Griff's voice was gravel rough. "How do you feel?"

"Side hurts, but I'll live. What happened at the hospital, Griff?"

He shrugged, the motion jogging Lex enough to send pain shooting through him, but he gritted his teeth and ignored it. "It wasn't so bad. You just got a little bit far away from me is all." He tried to form something vaguely like a smile, but it faltered a long way away from his eyes. 

"Don't give me that. I remember how you looked back at the hospital. And you still look like Hell."

Griff opened his mouth, hesitated and then said nothing,

"Come on. I know you were more than just a 'little bit far' from me. What was it like?"

"You're hurt. We can—"

"No." Lex put as much force into the word as he could muster. "No, Griff. Tell me. I need to know. For better or worse, we're tied together now, and I deserve to know."

The older man winced at the "for better or worse," and Lex knew he'd screwed up. "I'm sorry, Griff. That wasn't what I meant."

This time when Griff tried to sit up, Lex couldn't summon the energy to stop him. His side hurt, and he was afraid he'd just messed up really big. Was he going to lose Griff? 

Griff sat up, but, thankfully didn't move away entirely. He kept a hand on Lex. He had the sense Griff wanted to move away but couldn't.

"For better or worse pretty much describes this messed up thing, Lex. Look, I get it. I'm holding you back. It would be better if I were gone."

That's when Lex made the final connection. Whatever had happened at the hospital had been bad enough that Griff had considered suicide. Fear shot through him.

"No, Griff!" He struggled to sit up, ignoring the tearing pain in his side. He was pretty sure he'd just ripped out at least one stitch, but he didn't care. He managed to get upright and basically fell into Griff's arms as the man caught him at the last second before he fell off the bed.

"Lex!"

Lex lay in Griff's arms for a moment, panting, willing the pain to subside. He could hear all the monitors screaming in some sort of alarm, and he knew he didn't have much time before medical professionals descended on them. "No, Griff," he repeated. "Don't kill yourself. Oh, God, please don't do that."

"But I'm holding you back. You would be better off without a washed up crazy former FBI freak."

Lex could hear running footsteps in the hall. He didn’t have much time. He had to speak fast and find the right words. Damn the pain and weariness that threatened to overcome him. "Don’t think that. Don't you dare leave me until we have a chance to talk about this."

He felt Griff start to speak, and he hurried to add, "Promise me, Griff."

Just before a doctor and two nurses descended upon them, he heard Griff say faintly, "I promise you, Lex. I won't leave you until we can talk."

Lex sighed in relief and let exhaustion take him away from the pain in his side.


	20. Chapter 20

The doctor rushed in, and Griff got off the bed as quickly as he could without toppling it. One of the nurses gave him a disapproving look, but he ignored it and walked into the hallway. He put his back to the wall and slid down it, closing his eyes as he hit the floor. Damn! Why was he so tired? He’d pretty much resigned himself to ending it all, but Lex wouldn’t let him go. Why not?

He heard footsteps approaching, but he knew he was safe here, and he stubbornly decided not to open his eyes.

Someone lowered themselves to the floor and leaned a shoulder against him.

“Did you know that near the end of the second World War, many Germans in positions of power killed themselves with cyanide capsules?”

Of course it was Joshua.

“I think I’d heard it somewhere, yes.”

“Oddly enough some of them, Hermann Goring included, managed to get poison smuggled to them in their prison cells. Terrible how that happened.”

Griff wasn’t sure he was hearing what he thought he was hearing. He opened his eyes to look at Joshua. “Are you saying Karl is dead?”

“No, I was sharing a possibly interesting bit of historical trivia.”

“But Karl is dead, isn’t he?”

Joshua tilted his head. “Well, now that you mention it, yes, he is. He was discovered in his cell about an hour ago, and he was dead. They are doing an autopsy to determine cause of death, but based on history, I think we know what they will find. Those who do not study history… And all that.”

Griff wanted to ask, but instead he studied the older man. The glitter deep in his dark eyes told him everything he needed to know. “And the backups of his memories and...self?”

Joshua waved a hand. “Deleted. It is so difficult to accomplish computer related tasks without Lex. And yet, somehow we manage.” The glitter transformed into a twinkle before turning solemn. “And did you have a chance to speak to Lex before all the medical alarms started going off?”

Griff nodded.

“And?”

Griff sighed. “He made me promise not to do anything until we had a chance to really talk.”

“And do you intend to keep that promise?” Joshua asked.

Griff gave him a sharp look. “Of course. I wouldn’t do that to him.”

“Good. See that you don’t.”

“I still think it’s a mistake.”

“But it’s his mistake to make.” Joshua paused, eyes tracking down the hallway. “Is your biggest concern his job?”

Griff thought about it. He had a laundry list of why he was bad for Lex, but, yes, that was probably the biggest one, and he said so.

“Well, I think I can ease your mind on that one.”

Griff frowned. “How?”

“The Director would like to hire you.”

Griff blinked. “Why would he want to do that?”

Joshua gave him a gentle cuff on the side of his head. “You and Lex are going to both drive me crazy, aren’t you? Well, where do I start? Jackson Haisley was impressed with your analysis, and he’d like you to come work with him. Stiles was complimentary about your field skills, and he’d like to work with you.”

Griff had to stop his jaw from dropping.

Joshua continued. “Terri seems to think you’re cute, but I think she realizes you’re taken and was only saying it to get a reaction from Stiles.”

He couldn’t help his quick bark of laughter at that. “Did it work?”

Joshua winked at him. “Of course. That young man is entirely too predictable sometimes. Terri will have him wrapped around her finger before long.”

“Assuming she doesn’t already have him there.”

“Assuming that,” Joshua said in agreement. “So I think that eliminates your biggest concern. Jackson is quite happy to have you analyzing for him until you can get far enough from young Lex for long enough to go on assignments with Stiles. If you want to go into the field again. If not, Jackson can keep you busy for quite a while. You’ll have a desk in my area, near enough to Lex to keep you sane. Just remember to keep the public displays of affection to a reasonable level.”

Griff found an odd feeling rising within him. Was that...happiness? Or something close to it? He’d given up on ever feeling anything like it ever again.

“Think you can manage that?” Joshua asked him.

Griff found himself smiling and feeling lighter than he had in a long time. People who wanted to work with him? Someone who might actually love him? Crazy and all? He nodded. “Perhaps. That last condition might be a tough one, though.”

“Good thing you’re dating someone who can eliminate the video evidence then.”

Griff found himself laughing. Joshua reached out an arm to pull him in for a one-armed hug. “I think the crisis has passed in there. Perhaps they’ve managed to get him hooked back up to all the monitors and things.”

“Perhaps.”

Joshua stood up. “Oh, and don’t worry about that nurse. Her glare is definitely worse than her bite. If you want to cram yourself onto that tiny bed next to Lex, you go right ahead.”

Griff stood up and watched the older man walk down the hall. How did he know that? He guessed he understood why Lex loved his boss.

“Oh, and I have someone bringing you some clean clothes,” Joshua tossed back over his shoulder. “Might I recommend a shower?”

Griff glanced down at himself. He was covered in dried blood and muck. Joshua was probably right.

He decided he’d test Joshua’s information and brave the nurse to ask where he might find a shower.


	21. Chapter 21

They released Lex two days later. He and Griff hadn’t really had a chance to talk, although the older man had assured him he wasn’t planning anything crazy. He also mentioned that Joshua had told him the Director was hiring him.

That didn’t surprise Lex. He’d been planning to ask, and he’d been pretty sure Joshua would go for it and been willing to convince Gage. 

He slept for most of the two days, but every time he awoke, Griff was either nestled against his side or sitting by his bed, holding his hand. Terri, Stiles and Joshua all visited a couple of times. Joshua had assured him that two injuries in less than a month wouldn’t count against him on his next review.

Griff had laughed instead of looking worried, and Lex assumed that meant he’d figured out his boss was far more bark than bite. And fiercely loyal to his people.

He was more than ready to be released, however, and, even though Joshua had offered the safe house, he really wanted to be home. Griff hadn’t seen it yet. They’d had nothing even vaguely normal in the several weeks they’d been together, and Lex thought it was time to see where he lived.

He tried not to fret on the drive to his house. An Agency car had taken them since Lex wasn’t yet cleared to drive, and Griff didn’t have a valid license, having lost everything when he’d been institutionalized.

Lex realized he’d never properly finished with that Dana person who had locked Griff up. As soon as he was up to it, he was going to hack everything about her online. He’d already dealt with her credit rating, but he’d misfile her tax returns, close all her bank accounts and wipe out her GPA in every school she’d ever attended.

Okay, that last one was petty, but he still liked it.

“I know that look,” Griff said as the car pulled up to Lex’s apartment building. “Whose online presence are you about to destroy?”

Lex waited to respond until they were out of the car, and the agent had driven off. “That Dana person.”

Griff surprised him by leaning forward and kissing him thoroughly, right in front of his apartment. He put down the small bag which was all Griff had let him carry and pulled him close, deepening in the kiss.

When they pulled apart, Lex said, “Well, if anyone from management was watching, they might evict me now.”

Griff shook his head and picked up Lex’s bag. “Like you’d let that stop you.” He opened the door and motioned to Lex to go inside. “And thank you, by the way. Whatever you have planned for her is much appreciated.”

Lex climbed the stairs slowly, feeling the strain against his stitches. He’d be glad to get inside and sit down. “I’ll pretty much ruin her financial life. Oh and ruin all her grades.”

Griff laughed and managed to support him up the stairs without being too obvious about it. “Sounds good. She definitely needs an F in every medical ethics  or research methods class she’s ever taken.”

Lex had to catch his breath when they got to his floor. He was glad he wasn’t any higher than the third floor. If this was going to become a regular occurance, maybe he needed to move from a garden-style apartment to a high rise with an elevator.

Or maybe he could just try not to get shot again.

They finally made it to his apartment. Griff helped him to the couch and then looked around. “Nice. Comfortable without being fancy. I like that.”

Lex was glad to hear it. Every piece of furniture was designed for comfort more than looks. And they were all more expensive than they appeared on first glance. Lex had money from the company he’d sold before he started working for the CIA. But he preferred to look as if he were living on a government salary. Besides, he’d never needed much.

“Do you need anything?” Griff asked when he’d finished his quick look around.

Lex patted the sofa cushion next to him. “Yeah. You. Right here. With no doctors, nurses or anyone else coming by to poke, prod or otherwise interrupt us.”

Griff obliged, settling himself on Lex’s good side and tucking himself under his arm. Lex held him close, leaned back and closed his eyes. This was the best he’d felt in days.

They sat there for a few minutes before Lex said, “We didn’t really have a chance to talk. You’re...you’re not still thinking about--”

Griff shook his head. “No. I still can come up with several reasons why this is probably a bad idea, but no, I’m intending to live.”

“Good. And I don’t think it’s a bad idea.” He leaned over and nudged Griff’s head up into kissing range. They made out gently on the couch for a few minutes. Lex didn’t feel up to taking it any further, but he enjoyed it.

When they stopped, Lex took a deep breath and said, “You know I love you, right?”

Griff’s amber eyes lit up so bright that Lex wished he’d said it days ago, before Griff thought he had reasons to kill himself.

“I guess? I mean, I thought so, but…”

Lex kissed him again, just to make it clear.

“I love you too, Lex,” Griff finally said.

Lex had been pretty certain, but he was glad to hear it too. “So, are we going to make a go of this? One CIA agent who gets shot way too often and one definitely not washed-up ex FBI agent?”

Griff smiled, and Lex resolved to keep making him do that. Several times a day. Every day.

“Yeah, I think we are.”

“Good.” He smiled and added, “As soon as I’m off pain meds, we’re going to stay in bed for at least a day and figure out exactly what we like.”

Griff kissed the top of his head. “Deal.”

Lex lay back again on the couch, curled up next to Griff. It had been rough to learn they were genetic freaks, but damn it. They’d be freaks together.

And prove to the world that they were one awesome team.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a one-shot. Until my beta reader gave me sequel ideas! So there will probably be at least two more. Gotta find out what's up with Bill and Sam, right? And I need to explore more with Dean. So keep your eyes open. Once I finish a few of my other WIPs.
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed what is probably the rarest of rare pairs. They are pretty much my OTP now. Which is why it wasn't hard to arm twist me into sequels.


End file.
